A Dark Future
by Fallen's Wrath
Summary: A look at a possible dark future in the Naruto universe set after the 4th Shinobi war. Rated M for later adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

"Another one…"

The gruff bartender eyes me suspiciously before refilling my drink. Over the past many nights he learned of my drinking habits. I wasn't into my buzzed content stage, yet I wasn't far off from my rowdy reckless phase. My limits with alcohol weren't very far apart. One drink too many would tip me from one emotional scale to the other. For a second, I almost miss the Kyuubi and his booze hindering abilities. Almost. The drinks haven't worked their magic yet as I can still recall all the people that I can no longer be with. The sad part being that for a second that damned fur ball was the first one to enter my mind. I quickly snatch up the glass and let the warm sake slide past my tongue and down my throat. It burns like always, but the burn soon turns into a warmth within me and I can feel my mind finally slipping into a simpler place. Where I can't recall what ails me, or why my life is in shambles. I love it here, but sadly I can't stay. You can never stay in a place too good to be true.

**Near the end of the war, Akatsuki was sighted heading in mass in a straight line to Konoha. Most of the coalition was currently passing through Konoha, so they moved to intercept. As fate would have it, they met in that damn valley. The place where it all started, and was destined to end, The valley of the end. God did I hate that place. A long time ago, Madara lost and obviously couldn't come to terms with that. So here we are, giving a senile old bastard a second chance to try and right supposed wrong in those decrepit eyes. Killer Bee was captured a little over a week ago, or so we believed. He pulled the wool over Akatsuki's eyes once before and took a vacation. Everyone hoped that was the case this time as he had grown close with many people amongst the coalition shinobi forces. **

**There those arrogant Uchiha bastards stood, upon the monument erected of their leader. The base of the statue was covered in the Zetsu army, and behind the Uchiha's stood all of the Akatsuki, dead and alive. Kabuto proudly standing atop the highest point of the rock, to remind everyone that he had seemingly undone everyone's hard work by bringing back their fallen foes. But what stood out the most to everyone was the item Sasuke was holding out for all to see, the severed head of Killer Bee. Marred with dirt and blood, the eyes had a state of permanent agony forever set in by death. The cut that removed his head from his shoulders had signs of electrical burn marks, almost as if from a lighting covered sword. Sasuke gave the heads a few waves about before kicking it down to the troops. This should have been the part where one would rant or peace or world domination. Then someone would plead or denounce the other's ideas. No, the entire vain attempt of last minute peace was destroyed by the Raikage's frothing rage of a yell and blitzing forward. Thus starting the final battle and the ensuing bloodshed that followed with it.**

Brightness, a lot of brightness is all I can see. The sun's rays combined with the drinks from the night before are causing my head absolute hell. I roll to my stomach trying to avoid the morning beams only to rake my head on the gravel. Taking this into account, I slowly put last night's events into focus. The only place near the bar that has gravel is the roof, which means I probably crawled atop of it after they closed. It was better than passing out in an alley. The alley had shade, but after accidentally getting thrown in with the trash and waking up in the dump, the shade didn't quite seem worth it. Slowly getting to my feet, I dust off my red cloak and orange jump suit beneath before I look to the sky trying to determine what time it is. Judging from the sun, its roughly past 8 or 9, meaning that Ichiraku's would be opening any time now. My wallet feels to have just enough for a few bowls. After that I'm going to be broke again. Which means I would need to take up a few new missions. Joy.

Ducking into the stand, I'm greeted with the usual greeting and such from the owner. I respond back with my fake smile and tone of voice. He knows its fake, even more so all the pain behind the mask. But over all he doesn't want to scare away his best costumer with ghosts of the past and gets to work on the order. It was awkwardly quiet in the stand. People rarely came in here for breakfast, seeing ramen as only being worthy of a lunch food. Oh well, their lost. Then again, everyone else had been raised with tons of loving food prepared for them. When not a single person has ever placed a warm meal of love before you, you come to find a meal such as this to be heavenly. But I was never afforded those warm meals filled with affection, the only warm meal's I've ever eaten involved paying for ramen or the food after a funeral. I'll stick to the meal that doesn't come with any form of mourning involved.

I solemnly break the chopsticks and mutter out my praise before digging in slowly. I like ramen because it's quick, easy and it's a warm meal that gives you the feeling like it was made in a home where someone cared for you. If I eat quick enough, I can get lost in the illusion that I actually have a home where love and food are provided. One bowl down, I'm still stuck in this hell. I've somehow managed to get most of the noodles from the second bowl into my mouth and yet I can't believe the sweet lies that I want to ensnare me. I'm chugging the broth as quickly as I can and I swear I can almost feel a type of warmth inside me that isn't provided by an old man's noodle shop. An explosion of pain erupts in my shoulder and I don't need to turn around to know what just happened. By all means a Hyuga did just touch my shoulder, only not just any Hyuga. This touch belonged to a very enraged and shackled Neji Hyuga and by all means it wasn't going to be the last.

In some part of my mind I'm grateful he doesn't go in for the kill shot right away, he wants me to suffer. Yet to be honest, there are many times where I'd wish he would just go for my heart and end it, save us both the trouble of these little meetings. Another strike to the same shoulder telegraphs his entire plan. He just sealed off two of the 11 chakra points in one's shoulder to completely seal off the flow of chakra to the arm. He isn't sticking to his usual "disable the biggest non lethal points" this time. His hands withdraw with a twist this time; he's aiming for the three hardest ones to get them out of the way. He's so focused on his attacks that it's easy to pull off the substitution with the chair I was upon. It's just a sign of how bad this situation is when the all seeing eye of the emotionally calm Hyuga's have tunnel vision from rage. His hits connect, only for my image to go up in smoke, leaving the stool with three dents in it. Neji didn't even see my fist careening through the smoke and nail him right between the eyes. Out of the stand he flew and into the fence across the street. He was dazed nonetheless, but not any less blood thirsty in his gaze. Stumbling to his feet, his eyes never once left mine. He was nothing but a shell of the man he used to be. All he lived for now was revenge. Charging forward again, I raise my fist back to knock him down again. He gets within five feet of me when he pulls a trick straight out of my playbook. Not even having to make a sign for the jutsu, he suddenly changed into the spitting image of Hinata.

My cocked back fist freezes and I can't make it soar forward even if I wanted to. I know it's not real. I don't just know, every sense I have along with my memory and recent events is screaming to me to block from this fake Hinata. But in spite of the fact that I hardly stand for a single thing I once did, I can't bring myself to hurt the image of someone that I failed, even if the fake casualty is closing in for the kill. Neji/Hinata goes into a frenzy sealing away my chakra points. I can tell it's not a usual technique I've seen before, but it doesn't matter. I'm paralyzed by her image. Every detail was spot on, from the gloss of her hair down to the shine of her skin. I'm too ensnared to try and defend myself as I feel that most of my chakra points have been sealed and Neji/Hinata's fist is reeled back with a chakra covered palm for the final blow. It doesn't seem like a bad way to die, seeing the image of the woman that I couldn't protect. I actually smile as the palm flies forward and let my eyes soak in all I can as the last sight I'll ever see. Sadly this doesn't come to be as a tonfa comes out of nowhere and slams into Neji/Hinata's throat. Thrown back towards the fence, the illusion fades and Neji is left holding his throat while coughing up blood. A swarm of chains erupts behind Neji and engulfs his arms to his torso effectively binding him. He jerks a few times realizing how well he's shackled. Glowing softly, he starts to glow as he prepares to start his kaiten. Behind him, a wave of several hands occurs and his body is assaulted by tons of tiny slaps. Left behind at each hit was a tiny paper scrap with the word "Seal" on it. The glow fades and Neji nearly loses consciousness as he falls forward to his knees, revealing a cold faced Ten ten behind him holding the chains.

Ten ten and I haven't spoken a real conversation since the final battle at the valley of the end. Our worlds were both so irreversibly destroyed that day that there isn't much that can be or needs to be said. We both understand each other's pain. It's like two people in two boats sinking side by side at the same time. What more can really be said besides "Gee your screwed" and "So are you". Regardless of our situation, we both spoke without paying much attention. She mentioned something of an apology; I shrugged it off and made some comment about her general well being. Her response was something like she was fine or doing well, which was outright laughable if you got a good look at her. Physically she hadn't changed too much since I first got back from his training with Jiraya. Since then her bust and hips had gotten slightly wider and her face a little more slender. I was sure her hair had grown out, but she always kept it up in those buns so no one could be sure. But it was her eyes that really showed the change. Gone were the joyful eyes of hope, determination and glint for a certain stoic Hyuga. Replaced with the eyes of someone with no goal, hope or any other positive driving force. Her existence now was up to guarding Neji, which contrary to popular belief at first, was one hell of a task.

After Hinata's death, much to everyone's surprise, Hiashi killed himself the day after hearing the news. Apparently that hardened expression that everyone presumed was clan leader induced and maintained, it was more of a deep remorse for the loss of his wife. He treasured his daughters, despite how poorly he showed it. After losing one of his precious mementos of his wife, he quietly locked himself in his office and drove a ceremonial dagger deep into his gut and up into his heart. From there the Hyuga clan might as well of went the way of the Uchiha's. Hanabi had the title of Clan leader thrown upon her far before she was ready for It. From there the story varies a bit from who you hear it. But whoever tells you it can at least agree on one thing, the elders got greedy and tried to break the young leader through dastardly means. From that point the stories all merge upon the agreement that Neji showed up at the hospital covered in blood and screaming with Hanabi in his arms. Hanabi's been in the psychiatric ward ever since, she isn't expected to make a full recovery with the trauma she was put through. There was a battle that night on the Hyuga estate. Many died and soon many followed as that was the great break that finally destroyed the Hyuga's. Sides were drawn, everyone feared everyone and death occurred around every corner. By the time the fighting was broken up, more than two thirds of the clan had died, the remaining refused to talk through bitter stubbornness and damn clan pride of all things. The Hyuga clan now stands broken, held mainly together by their memory and the wealthy state of affairs left behind by the once noble clan. The council is disbanded, more of a flimsy democracy with every single member terrified of trying to change or do something for in fear of restarting the civil war that they endured on that fateful night.

Neji had snapped from all of it. Somehow no one had triggered his cursed seal like almost all of the branch family had endured. Despite not being in the main family and that rather large stick he had up his ass, he did deeply care for his uncle and his two cousins. With two of them dead and the last locked in a padded room to protect herself, Neji lost almost all that he held dear. With his team almost all dead from the events of the final battle, not even Ten ten, the girl who had been warming his heart all these years could keep him from setting his cold eyes on the one man he deemed responsible for the onslaught of his clan. Me. The first assassination attempt was waved off as a mixture of grief and too much drinking. It was dismissed with a warning and everyone reached out to Neji in sympathy. The next one wasn't met with such kindness. He was found literally red handed as he had poisoned my drink and ambushed me outside the bar and was pummeling me with a closed fist for what seems like an eternity. Luckily someone found me, and to this day I can't remember who. I spent a night in Intensive care and a few days in recovery. They somehow found out he had been beating on me for well over half an hour and that the poison he used was slow working, but extremely painful. The kind of stuff you feed your worst enemy and throw him in a cellar to die days later in horrendous agony. Ever since he was under heavy guard and a lot of chakra seals to keep him in check. But the funny thing about those damn prodigies, they adapt. Somehow he keeps building up a small amount of chakra to break his bonds, free himself and finally escape to enact his revenge. He does this nearly once or twice a month. Ten ten got the permanent job of watching him as he had killed his first few guards. Even with all of his blood rage and one tracked mind, he can't bring himself to kill his former teammate and his could have been mate. It broke her heart to have to take the job, but she took it to give herself meaning and to keep her fellow ninja safe. If she didn't, she would have gone the way of her teacher and killed herself years ago.

Years, it's really been years. As Ten ten finishes up chaining Neji, I let my mind wonder to figure out just how long ago it was. I was sixteen when I got back with Jiraya. My eighteenth birthday was a month or two before the final battle, and I'm now twenty seven. Over nine years ago. Has it really been that long? With her job finished, Ten ten waves goodbye and heads back to his holding cell. I'm tempted to goude Neji that I'll see him soon, but I know it's wrong. He's been through enough, hell we all have. Besides, it's true that we will, and if I egg him on it will only be sooner. With my stomach full for the time being and my wallet being far from it, I begrudgingly set on to my next goal, a mission. Kicking a random rock along the road, it doesn't take me long until I'm in front of the Hokage building in the shadow of all six faces of the Hokage. Through the front door, up the stairs down the hall and finally to the double mahogany doors. I knock once hard, and then a quieter second knock, pausing briefly before heading in. I never used to knock, far from it as I would kick the door in and scream about a mission or how awesome I was. And the reason I kept doing it was because the only punishment I would receive would be a scolding. Well that all changed the day I strutted in on the current Hokage giving some women an anal pounding like nothing I've ever seen before. I figured from all of those pervy books that he read that he knew of quite a few interesting things and probably had a few kinks, but nothing could of prepared me for the site of Kakashi giving hell to that girl that he had literally chained to his desk with additional chains around his forearms to better keep the girl and everything else in line. Since that day I have my own custom knock and give him enough time to set up a genjutsu, throw a sheet over the whole thing or jump across the room to deadbolt the door and scream for me to come back.

Luckily for me that wasn't going to be the case today as Kakashi was sitting behind his desk handling a mountain of paperwork. Dropping into a chair before his desk, I look about the room just to see if I can see any cracks or shimmers, an obvious sign of an illusion.

"What? No chains, whips and horse bridal ropes today?" I say with a slight sneer. In spite of all that has happened, what I'm feeling or just how dark I'm feeling, being in Kakashi's presence sparks a small flicker from my old self. Hell, he even got me to say "Dattebayo" three months ago. He still won't let me live that one down after I swore off the word years ago.

"Hmm? Oh that. For the last time, she was applying for ANBU and part of her form stated that one of her masteries was of seduction. And that she prided herself mastering counter interrogation techniques. She stated it in a form of a challenge and declared that not even I in all of my mightiness could break her." He stated matter of factly at the end.

"Is that what you tell yourself and everyone else to hide the fact that you gave hell to one of your fan girls?" I say with as much of a straight face as I can manage.

"She wasn't the first… won't be the last. But I don't care what you say, did you get a good look at that body? I swear Jiraya must have spied on her in the springs. She was word for word the spitting image of a female character in the third book." Kakashi knew full well that saying Jiraya's name was sometimes taboo around Naruto. But at the same time he felt that this may be an exception.

"He would have been proud. That's for sure. I guess that does make you his biggest fan. I guess the next time I'm really strapped for money I can sell you the location of the girl from his last book. Even I peeped on her when Jiraya found her." Naruto all but said with a chuckle. It was hard to mourn for his own master when such a story came with it.

"I see…" Stuck between an interest in tracking down Jiraya's last muse and something else, Kakashi's eyes darted to a small calendar on the side of his desk. Deciding to turn the conversation towards the second opinion, he let his face get serious before he continued. "Speaking of that money, I estimated your funds lasting you another four days. I'm guessing you've been hitting the bottle extra hard."

"Something like that… Got anything up my alley? Hopefully a couple of C or B assassination missions."

"Any chance you'll be coming back to active ninja status? I'm still hoping you'll be the one to take this seat from me, and hopefully soon. The village loves you and the minute you declare you want it, it's all yours. Your old dream is just a few words away Naruto." Kakashi put on his best face and hoped he could reach his old student. Ever since the final battle, he was no longer the bright energetic knucklehead he used to watch over. He lost his spark, his hopes and all love for his dream. He still supported the ninja economy by taking the occasional job and rushed to the town's defense when they were under attack. But he had declined the Hokage title when Tsunade retired and Kakashi was left to take it. He hoped it would only be a temporary thing, a few months until Naruto accepted his true calling and went to claim the title. 6 years later and one new giant face on the mountain and here he was, hoping that this blond savior would relinquish him from his seat.

"You know I can't do that Kakashi. You may not like it, but you're ten times the better Hokage then I would be. I would only do my father and village wrong by taking that title. I said it as a kid for recognition and acceptance. I got that when it was all said and done, but look at me. I'm found passed out drunk sometimes, delusional or just flat out disheveled. Yet people won't say a thing to me. I got a title as a hero and people are blinded by that. If I take the title of Hokage, that will just make me even further from judgment or whatnot by the people. I wanted that title to mean I earned and keep their respect, not to have it given to me to live in a false state of respect despite any actions I might take. There is almost nothing I could do to change people's opinions of me, to keep me in check. They respect you enough to tell you if they think you did something wrong. With me they would just tolerate me and be afraid out of being disrespectful of my past actions. A leader needs to know if what he did is the right thing for the people. I'm not going to endanger this village, the people and myself over a dream I can't support." I didn't mean to say all of that, but Kakashi has been laying it on thick for the past few years. I tried to shrug it off at first, but lately I've just been throwing a mini speech at him. He's desperate to get rid of it, and I'm his number one replacement seat. Yet everyone else below me either isn't ready or doesn't want it.

Accepting the defeat for now, Kakashi juggles a few scrolls on a massive rack and slides two across the table. "Two assassination missions, In and out. One C and one B rank. The C rank is a leader of a band of thieves. He's a bit of a planner and thinker in charge of a bunch of small time crooks. Take him out and that should alleviate the increasing bandit problem plaguing the roads between here and Suna. The B rank is an odd request from Kumo, apparently they have a rather elusive missing nin who escaped recently. He's only a chunnin, but they are having a hard time capturing him. They are afraid he is going to defect to another city and are requesting a tracking ninja from here to try and intercept him. With your sage mode you should be able to find him just as quickly as a Inuzuka. They last saw him heading in this general direction two days ago. They want his body destroyed as to remove any chance of their secrets being stolen. Here are the maps for your missions. This map has the most anticipated areas to find the Kumo nin. I'm guessing that you plan on having these handled like all the previous missions?"

Pocketing the two scrolls and the maps, I form the Ram sign and five clones pop into existence. Carefully scanning the contents of the C mission, I point to the two clones on my right and order them to head out to find the gang leader. After reviewing the B mission, I give the same orders to the other three clones. Popping the window open, all the clones rush out to carry out their mission. "I'll let you know when it's done." Without another word, I disappear from sight and head out to the only spot in the village where I can be found sober. Of all the traits I could have picked up from Kakashi, never in a million years did I think it would be spending all of my time at the memorial stone. But with his pressing matters as the Hokage and all the death I've seen, it just seemed to somehow click that I take up his job of mourning over the true heroes of this village. And just as I arrive at the memorial stone, I'm hit by my strongest memory of the final battle, almost like it was waiting for me at the stone like a loyal dog.

**The fight was over. There was no more us and them, just us, or what was left of us. Virtually no one walked away from that battle without some damage. The remaining medic nins had set up a triage tent and everyone capable of walking was called out to make their way over. That was how they were going to see who got first treatment. Those capable of walking were obviously not as bad as the people who couldn't. And for those who couldn't, they were either dead or soon to be. With my condition and location, I was furthest from the triage center and wasn't able to move to fast, so I got to bring up the rear of the "I'm still walking" parade. Of all the pain I suffered during the fight, this was by far the worst. The journey was nothing short of a horrific reunion, with only the worst answers to any question I might have had. "How is he/she?" and "And of their family?" was answered by "Died horribly", "Fatally wounded", "Shame he was the last of his clan" and "Never be the same". **

**Honorable fighters bled out slowly, hoping that the comrades around them would be die sooner so their pain might be relieved by the few passing medics. Some people had their clan members by their side, to mourn their passing or be with them as it happened. Many of the deaths I had seen previously were rediscovered. It's one thing to see someone die when you're in the fray of battle, casually walking by is a hell on its own level. I didn't cry for the first people I passed, so it seemed like an insult to start crying at any point in this walk. How would mourning one but not another be fair. I kept my solemn resolve and kept marching, my grief stricken face being the only thing I could offer the dead and dying. That theory when straight to hell when I had to make my way past ground zero of the battle, rightfully named as the biggest jutsu's and most deaths happened in this spot. By that right, chances were that if anyone you knew died at that battle, they died here. I managed to pass the first of the rookie 12 without shedding a tear, having traded part of my soul for my eyes to remain dry. The next few absolutely broke my vow to be tearless, yet I didn't break down and weep. I kept walking on with my tears being the sign of my pain. Kiba, Hinata, Sai, Lee and Shikamaru were beyond a doubt gone, filling my heart with untold sorrow. Chouji, Shino and Sakura were grievously wounded, and I could only let out more tears to show my pain over their condition. And then I passed Sasuke, and dispite all the pain and hell he caused everyone, I even shed a few tears for him.**

((Well everyone, what did you think? Now I've got a few quick things I need to put out, so please bare with me. First, this is my first story on this site. Could any of you tell? I've been writing stories and stuff for years, but this is my first on this site and not using 100 percent of my own content. I've had this story on my mind for a while now, but never had the time to write it out. I'm planning on making maybe 3-4 more chapters of this, and then moving onto another story I thought up recently. I also decided not to use a beta (Also I didn't have one) to see how well I could do without it. I've seen plenty of stories on here post that this was their first, and a lot of them don't seem to do so well. So I put in some extra effort here on this to see how well mine would work in spite of those setbacks. Second off, I will never beg any one who reads this to post reviews to make myself feel better or whatnot. However, I have no clue if anyone actually found this enjoyable or has any tips. So, review if you want, no pressure by any means, but reviews could lead to improvement to the story or possible shout out's in the next chapter. Third, I will try my hardest to get you a new chapter out within the next week. (Hey, if Kishimoto needs a week to pump out a new chapter, then what makes me any better then him?) My life has a lot of things going on right now, so I'll push myself to try and keep up with this deadline, which I am usually able to keep. Oh, and for the record, I do not own Naruto. Well, that's all I got for now. I hoped you enjoyed this. Until next time.))


	2. Chapter 2

Time went by relatively fast at the memorial stone. One of these days I should really bring a stool or chair here. I get lost so easily in the seemingly endless list of names of people I'd give anything to see again. Even now that I think about it, I probably only knew less than a fifth of the people on the stone. I was born some years after the third shinobi war, and I can't be held responsible for the deaths from the kyuubi attack. So that makes a majority of the people on the stone complete strangers to me. I have no doubt that the majority of them were upstanding people, yet at the same time many of these names must have been rapists, thieves and murders without compassion. But they died with a konoha headband on their body and in the act of protecting this village, so their past transgressions don't bother me.

Some days, I try to memorize all the names that I can on this stone, pushing my brain to know the location of each person. Other times I just stare at one name until I'm sure I've remembered every encounter I ever had with them. Looking back, I really can't blame Sakura for hitting me so much. I mean I mainly yelled for spoke of my dreams for people to hear me and accept me for being there, but I'd want to hit someone as well for not occasionally shutting up. I mean if I was obsessed with someone like Sakura was with Sasuke, then I could have been labeled an excessively loud fan boy. I mean hell; I guess I was my own fan boy in a way. Wait a minute… eww… that can be taken so wrong. Thankfully I've mastered the keeping most of my thoughts to myself. If I had said that out loud in town, I don't think I could ever summon another shadow clone without people getting some pretty strange and perverted looks.

Today, I just so happen to be focusing on each person at a time. Finishing the name I was just on, my eyes drop down one name on the list and come across Shino Aburame. Reflecting back, I realize now that if I had the choice to bring any dead member of the rookie 12 back to life, it would probably be him. It's funny how I was finally able to understand him after his death. We had so much in common that it's not even funny. The only thing that separated was the very way we acted. If I had mellowed out or tried to understand him better, or perhaps if he loosened up a bit, we would have seen just how much we shared. Like how we were both host to something that everyone around us was unsettled by. No matter how hard we worked, even our most trusted people were constantly on edge that something may go wrong and they would be harmed or killed by our hosts. We had the common goal of wanting nothing more of being accepted and appreciated. Hell, after a little bit of research, I found out that he was fond of ramen and at one point wanted to be the Hokage to better improve the village's view of his clan's methods. But above all of that, we both loved our friends and peers on an unprecedented level. After Kiba and Hinata died in battle, Shino went berserk on a level rivaling that of an unstable Jinchuriki.

**I was going toe to toe with Madara when I heard a certain voice make its presence known to the battlefield. I wasn't going to pay it much attention, seeing as I was in the most intense fight of my life, but when I noticed that Madara had stopped to stare, I couldn't help but be curious. From what I had learned of later, Kiba and Shino had gone on the offense after Hinata died. Kiba had practically gone feral while Shino had kept most of his cool persona and directed their efforts to those most deserving. Their group was always so balanced, someone always played the rational role, another to the hothead and finally someone played the mediator. With their mediator dead and no other rational choice but to resort to avenging their comrade, Shino took up the mantle of the mediator while Kiba had the hothead part covered for the both of them. **

**On some sick cosmic level, it was almost funny. Shino was practically walking Kiba by letting his bugs focus on the lesser enemies while Kiba's tunnel vision quickly focused on nearest enemies left unhindered. While Kiba may have been seeing the world through in only different shades of red, he probably never saw anything more clearly in his life than when he saw Deidara directly over Shino's shoulder. Moving with speed that he didn't know he had, Kiba managed to barrel right past Shino and horse kick him away from Deidara. Shino managed to spin and land on his butt in time to see Kiba take the drill beak shaped explosive bird that was meant for him. The explosion was so bright that Shino had to shield his eyes, even with his shades on. He felt something wet and heavy slam into his chest, knocking his shades free. Looking down at the shamble of arms and legs in his lap, Shino looked on in horror at the remains of his best friend. Kiba's rib cage was completely exposed, with the damage being more and more severe the closer it came to his hips. The only thing that kept his hips attached to his ribcage was the charred remains of his spinal column that resembled one of Akamaru's chewing toys. Kiba hadn't tried to deflect the blast or guard against it with the hopes of surviving; he had taken it head on knowing that Shino wouldn't have survived the blast unless he took the full force of the explosion. Ensuring he died so that his teammate would live on, Kiba died with a smile on his face as he met death head on to ensure the maximum chance of his best friend's survival. **

**Shino placed Kiba's corpse before him with the gentle touch that one would have with an infant. Draping his coat over his beloved friend, Shino broke the eerie silence that flooded his mind that overtook him as his world seemingly came to an end. With a yell to the heavens with more compassion in it then all of my hokage and ramen speeches combined, Shino went on the offense. Why he always wore that coat and glasses suddenly became obvious to me. His glasses were used for the intention of keeping himself somewhat separated from those around him, detached so he could keep his analytically logical mind free from too many emotional attachments. But his coat served a far greater purpose then a tool for distancing himself. His body was covered in hive openings and seals, leaving barely any patches of skin left unmarred. Those seals must have been designed to enhance his control and communication with his bugs. To me it almost looked like he had his own bijuu within him, and with the insane amount of kikaichu flowing out of his body. I remember him sometimes mentioning multiple hives or nests in his body, he probably always held some back incase his bugs out in the field were destroyed. But he wasn't holding anything back now. **

**To this day, I'm still not sure if he was using some secret clan technique or improvising on the spot, but my god was it effective. His entire swarm surrounded him like a black cloud of death and kept up with him as he charged forward. Not a single enemy saw through the swarm until it was too late, when the swarm parted for only a second for a blade to fly through and leave a mortal wound. I was a bit surprised that Shino only gave each opponent a deep slash; he knew that these bastards would only regenerate. But I was dead wrong when I saw that Shino had planned three steps ahead in this. All of those resurrected from the impure world technique had something in common with the Zetsu clones, they all required chakra to regenerate. The Zetsu clones were only killable if you made them spend all of their energy on regeneration, basically beat their faces in until they don't get up any more. The bodies from the impure world technique required almost no chakra to regenerate, and were incredibly skilled fighters to begin with, making the number of heavy attacks they received nearly non-existent. Shino's bugs flooded the spot of each strike he made, feeding on the chakra being fed to the area to repair. None of the enemy could move much while in their regenerative state, so as long as Shino's bugs kept eating, the enemy was effectively neutralized. Like a locust swarm, Shino blazed a path of death across the field like no one could have ever imagined.**

**Focusing back on my fight with Madara, I lost track of Shino. I saw him later with two medics over him, trying desperately to stabilize him. I heard that he caused so much destruction, that the enemy forces teamed up on him to take him out. Despite all of that, he was still alive, just barely, but alive. Both of his arms were gone, and half dozen projectiles were hanging out of his torso, but the medics fought to keep him among the living. They might have been able to do it too, if he hadn't been so damn stubborn. Ignoring the massive chakra exhaustion he suffered, or the fact that his bugs could have done some extensive internal repairs, he ordered the last of his kikaichu to find his team and bring them by his side. He had accepted that death was near, and decided that he would embrace it on his terms, with his precious teammates by his side. He drew his last breath when he felt his teammates shoulders touch his, filled with a sense of accomplishment that they would all leave the battlefield together, like they had promised only hours ago.**

A lone tear had escaped my eye, my personal tribute to my precious friend. I can only imagine how my life would be different if he was still around. Man I bet he would be awesome to have some drinks with, that cool demeanor had to count for something in the world of booze. He would probably be the guy who would make sure you passed out somewhere comfortable, or could talk you out of doing something really idiotic while being hammered. While reflecting upon a world of what if's, I'm suddenly flooded by the memories of two shadow clones, and can't help but laugh at their antics. After they scoped out the hideout, the clones had come to the conclusion that the leader was a massive pervert. The only way the job could have gotten any easier from that point, would be if all the thugs lined up in a row from tallest to shortest and jumped on my kunai. One of those clones transformed into the slutty image that I always used on Jiraya, marched up to the gates and told the guard that the leader's right hand man ordered me as a gift for their leader. The guards could do nothing but nod and let the clone in, doing anything else would have been suicide for three reasons. One, stalling their sex craved leader from a sexy present would be a horrible idea. Two, appearing to undermine or question the brutish second in command was an even worse idea. Third, even making the perception that they decided to personally test out their boss's present before he did would be the grand daddy of all bad ideas.

The clone was ushered into the boss's chamber, who took no time in jumping out of his seat and bragging of his accomplishments in effort to excite or stimulate his tantalizing guest. Supposedly this guy was one wickedly smart thief, causing enough trouble for a hidden village or two to take notice. But he fell into the one trap that all men fall into, once their blood starts flowing south, so do their IQ's. When he jumped forward for a pervy embrace, my clone open its arms wide in and let the pervert in… in to the perfect striking range that is. The clone slashed the jugular and embedded the blade into the back of the leader's skull for good measure. The leader's death scream had caused a great number of his goons to rush in the room to check the scene. When the room's was filled with at least ten members, the clone ripped off her skimpy top and revealed the exploding tag covered breasts beneath it. The goons didn't have time to fully process what just happened before the explosion went off, dying with a stupefied expression on their faces. The clone outside received the memories and decided to do a quick clean up job before dispelling. Expending all the energy it had to its name, the clone cast a swamp of the underworld before poofing out of existence.

I finish up my now out of character laugh at the clone's antics. Whenever I make my clones now, they always try to do something comedic to make me laugh. Perhaps it's my subconscious or inner child trying to brighten my life or something like that. Aside from any incident involving sake, these little performances are the only thing that's caused me to laugh for years. I really should tell this one to Gaara the next time we cross paths, he'll get a kick out of it. And upon remembering my favorite red haired former host of the ichibi, I decide to next pay tribute to the loss he suffered that day and the only ninja on this shrine that isn't from konoha, Temari. To this day, people still aren't sure why she is here. Some say she and Shikamaru were involved, and she wanted to be buried next to her lover. Others say she thought it would be funny to be buried next to him to heckle him for all time and call him a crybaby. All that is known that the two fought side by side in the final battle, letting their abilities complement each other. Shikamaru had at some point in the battle sacrificed himself so that she could live, only for her to receive a mortal wound sometime later in the fight. Her final words were heard by Gaara as he did his best to comfort her in her final moments. As the proud kazekage cried over his beloved sister, she at one point insisted that her final resting place was next to a certain lazy ass of konoha. From there, the rumors have been flying ever since. Some think Chouji knows, but for the first time in his life, his lips aren't budging on that subject. Kiba claimed to know back in the day, but didn't say a word because he liked to flaunt that he knew more than others. A lot of people think that the Inuzuka clan might have known or found out the same way Kiba did, but to honor their fallen brethren, they too are silent on this particular juicy part of konoha gossip.

A few hours pass of recollecting and silent mourning before another clone's memories joins my own. The clones had spread out in a triangle shape in the middle of the expected intercept area and started gathering sage energy. They purposely sat miles apart, sitting at the max range of their sensing abilities. It had only taken an hour or so, but the client's for this mission were dead on in their estimation of where their missing nin would be heading. One clone had detected a ninja that felt like a lighting nin heading from their village. Moving on his own, the clone intercepted the nin and confirmed that he was the one the mission wanted. The nin was in the high chunnin to low jonin range, but apparently he knew quite a few dangerous jutsu's that increased his threat level. The clone needed to relay to the other clones this information, yet it would be a true waste if he just dispelled for information. Steadying himself on a sturdy branch a little ahead of the nin's path, the clone got into a low crouch and waited for the right moment. When the missing nin passed by, the clone leapt out using every bit of additional speed acquired from sage mode. The nin didn't see the clone until after the attack went through. The clone had embedded a kunai so deep into his thigh that it had fractured the femur. The nin had responded upon impulse and backhanded the clone before he got a good look at his attacker. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke, the nin wasn't fully sure what just happened, only that his leg was now thrashed and he'd be stuck with a turtle's pace until he found medical attention.

That was all the information I needed to know that the mission was as good as done. The other two clones were a few miles away and filled to the brim with natural energy. That nin was going nowhere fast and probably didn't stand a chance against two of my clones in sage mode. I'd give that missing nin no more than ten minutes before my clones finish him off. That would be enough time to get back to the hokage tower, turn in a half assed mission report and get enough money to keep me drink away my memories for at least two weeks. I make my way back to the tower, wondering just when I'm going to be hit with the clones memories of a mission completed. Nothing came to me as I entered the tower, or as I reached for the mission report forms. I had just finished up the report for the thieves when I was finally hit by the results of the missing nin mission. Mission complete, by use of a sage mode: odama rasengan from above. One clone had transformed into a half human/animal hybrid to confuse the missing nin, thus causing him to believe he was in a genjutsu, and repeatedly try and break it. While he was holding still for that, the second clone had dropped down from above and finished him off, all the while digging him a grave at the same time. The clones burned the remains, just to ensure that no other village would be able to steal any secrets, and finally finished the event by roasting a few marshmallows before poofing out of existence. After jotting down the events on the report form, I gave it one final look over before signing my initials on each paper and heading up to see my old sensei.

One faked smile, a greeting and two envelopes with money later; I'm out of the tower and to my favorite bar. It has been a long day mentally, the sun is still fighting it losing battle against the horizon, but I'm ready to hit the sake. The payment from the missions is enough to get me a steady amount of drinks for the next two weeks, one if I go overboard with it and three if I actually used some restraint. While it is extremely tempting to go all out again and wake up in an alley, I'm actually going to try and restrain myself so my funds can last a little longer and I might just wake up in my own bed tomorrow. With that intention in mind, I enter the bar and hope that I will be able to keep true to this plan.

_**Later . . .**_

After several fumbles, the key goes into the slot and I'm finally able to enter my home. Home, I can't believe I still call it home. It's still the little hole in the wall place I got back when I was four. Same paint job, same small design, same everything. Then again, it's all I've ever known, so what else could I call it but home? It's even dirtier than it used to be, if you can believe it. I hardly spend any time here, mainly getting too drunk most nights to find my way back here or passing out on the way to here. I throw off my coat onto the sofa and fumble with my shoe straps as I make my way to the bedroom. I really need a bigger place, because I've officially outgrown this place. It was a lot bigger when I was short. Now that I'm taller with broader shoulders, I sometimes have to crouch or side step through the doorways. And the bed is still the same old twin sized bed I used back in the day. It met my needs in my youth, but as a fully grown man… sometimes accompanied by a fully grown woman, I need something with more rolling room and space. With my shoes off and my shirt left hanging from the doorknob, I flop face first onto the mattress and peacefully await sleep's arrival. I know something in my life sucks, but I can't seem to remember it right now, only that I'm drunk, tired and in my bed.

**Thunk**

…

**Thunk Thunk Thunk**

… "Oh please don't be who I think it is…"

**Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk …. Click…. Cccrrreeaaaakkk … ….. **"LeE… yuu HeRE?"

"Son of a bitch… Why now Sakura… I just got comfortable…"

((Well… I know a few people subscribed to this, and for that, I say two things. One, thank you for reading and taking an interest in this. Two… sorry about that delay, my bad. I said one week… then a lot of crazy things happened. I meant to post an update right before I got my wisdom teeth pulled, that didn't go so well. Then before I know it, I've got a new GF, working on a new car, skydiving, road trips, new video games, new dog… yeah, it's been a hell of a month. I won't make some pipe dream about having a new update in a week, but I will do my best to do something along those lines. This story is halfway done, I have a few more things I want to do with this. I just wanted to make a darker path, and fresh out this idea I've had for quite a while. But I'm going to wrap this up before I get started on that. Well, thanks for sticking with this so far. Hope to see you all around, and keep an eye out for any future updates, until next time.))


	3. Chapter 3

I lay rigid in my bed, praying that if I held still long enough, Sakura would simply leave. The sound of a sloppy punch rattling my door frame was the answer to that prayer. Crap, come on Sakura, realize that you don't want to cause any property damage, and go home. I just want to sleep. After a moment of silence, a stronger, yet still sloppy, punch causes my door hinges to snap and my door to buckle as it flies somewhere into my tiny little home. Sakura apparently doesn't listen to mental prayers or suggestions, or any form of remorse for possessions when in one of her drunken stupors. I don't have much time; my place is small enough that she already knows that I'm in this room. With as much grace as I can muster in my current state, I roll off the side of my bed, shucking my coat and shirt along the way. I manage to activate a quick henge before I'm fully standing, and round the corner looking like Rock Lee.

"Sakura-san? What can I do for you?" I cough out, doing my best to appear like I was sleeping. In the second that I've rounded the corner, Sakura's current default face of remorse and irritation has melted into content and teary rejoice. Wordlessly, she crosses the room, collapsing unto my chest. She clings to me out of need and being barely able to stand. She leaves a trail of kisses from my left peck to my jaw line, mumbling and chortling out the occasional apology. I'm grateful that's she resorted to more physical actions then expressing her remorse through words. It killed the mood a little less, and I would have to face a few less people from my past. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep and rough kiss, leaving with a bitter sweet taste on my lips. I mull the flavor over as she sneaks her way to my ear, she tastes like her usual cherry lip gloss flavor, along with the bitter taste of cheap beer and self-loathing. She begs me to let her show how sorry she is, to make for her actions with her body. She states that she wants to return the feelings I have for her, let me pollinate her woman hood, and truly be my precious flower. These words might have changed my life so many years ago, but these words aren't for me, they belong to a dead man. An honorable dead man.

I know what she wants, hell, I've lost track of how many times I've done this song and dance with her. My part hasn't changed a bit since this whole thing started, hers barely has as well. The only difference is what she says; she speaks how she feels about the situation. Some nights she says she wants to be a couple, take an interest in me and truly appreciate me. Other nights she just wants to throw her body at me, hoping that a good fuck will absolve her of her sins, and give something back to the man who gave everything for her. I focus on my role right now, I'm not Naruto, I'm Lee. And this is supposedly the first time, and Lee would be thrilled to accept and be intimate with Sakura. I pick her up bridal style, giving her the best nice guy smile I can manage. She smiles at this, almost like her old smile of looking at Sasuke. This is pretty much the only time I ever see that smile anymore, a truly happy smile. I pivot where I stand, thanking kami that I'm capable of remaining standing after pulling off any move requiring coordination while being decently sloshed. I lay her down on my tiny twin sized bed, letting my fingers undo the belt and snaps on her outfit. The moment I lay her on the bed, she rises to kiss me again, doing her best to try and shake her way out of her clothes. I give her skirt a short tug as she flings her boots off the side of the bed. I make sure at this point to praise her, giving a half shout, just like he would of. She isn't wearing any undergarments, her shaven snatch being the focus of my praise and attention. I can see the tiniest sheen of moisture on her entrance, even in a room lit only by moonlight; she's wet and desperate for this. She's convinced that getting pounded like a cheap whore is going to earn her forgiveness.

She throws her legs around my waist, giving herself some better leverage to take off my pants, and rub herself against my thighs. Looks like she is in no mood for foreplay tonight, her body language is screaming to me that she can barely think or see straight without me inside her. While she messes with my pants, I try and take her top off. Having the smallest breasts in our class, Sakura is really hesitant to be topless in front of anyone. I mean they developed nice over time, but her breasts never managed to grow into a C cup, which made her green with envy compared to the other luscious female members of the Konoha twelve. Most nights I am unable to get her shirt off, let alone her bra, yet tonight I managed to completely remove the shirt and pull her bra up. I hate having any clothes on during sex, even when I'm being used for sex. I feel my pants and boxers get ripped down with one large tug, letting me know that any further attention to her chest will have to wait. I make a note to get rid of that bra before the night is over, and turn my attention back to Sakura's waist. She flopped back on the bed now, practically quivering with anticipation as she stares longingly at my cock. Her hands move up to caress the shaft, giving my head some special attention. She almost looked lost for a moment, not sure if she should move her head down to engulf my dick with those tight lips of hers, or to let me do my job and shove it within her glistening cunt. I could push her for either choice, having seen her take both options. Her blow jobs feel great, I won't lie there, but often it's a sad experience. She often cries during it, lamenting over the past, and tries to express her sorrow during the small gasps she takes. While the appeal is high, I'm not wanting to draw this out, or see her cry tonight.

I wiggle free of her grasp and grab her by the underside of her knees, manipulating her body until she is spread just right beneath me. Touching her with great care and attention to every little detail, I pull her lips apart and sticking a finger within in her to check the lubrication. She's wet enough for me to enter her from a flying leap across the room, so I waste no more time in this little escapade. I move my hands around her legs and grasp her firm little butt, dipping my hips down to level with hers. It takes hardly anything for my cock to sense the warm wet slit, nor would it of taken but a few choice muscles to slide balls deep within her, but I pause, and look straight into her eyes with some genuine wonder and revere. I imagine Lee would be staring into her green eyes just like this right now, asking his precious flower for her permission to enter her. She nods her head in a small contained frenzy, something I would imagine she would have once given Sasuke if he had asked her to father his children and be his lawful wife. With a decent thrust, I find myself buried deep within former crush and teammate.

I take it somewhat slow at first, I honestly don't know if Lee ever popped his cherry before he died, so in my own odd tribute to him, I imagine this being a cross between his first time and just another fling, just to be better in character. In spite of all that's happened, Sakura still has a pretty tight little pussy to pound. I have to admit; I do enjoy this part of the night, and have actually appreciated some of her visits. Of course, those nights I'm pretty drunk, and just want a decent fuck to find its way into my lap, but in all fairness, she is probably thinking the same thing. I roll my hips into hers, watching her body contort with the rolls, and getting access to previously untouched folds and pockets within her. This is by far not her first time, as Sakura has quite a few ideas on how to please a man. She bucks her hips just as I'm pulling out, and shakes her hips every time my base touches her lips. With the few minutes of semi slow cutesiness out of the way, I start to pick up the pace. Minus me throwing out the occasional Lee scream of how great this feels, something about youth or love, this is no longer an act, but just an intimate session. Latching my thumbs over her hips, I use my iron grip on her ass as a handle to better rail myself into her. Her hands grasp the sides of my bed with white knuckles flared, using her leverage to lift as much of her body off the bed and better aimed towards my hips, increasing the depth I can access and the amount of contact between us. Her moans are slowly turning to screams with this new position, my impressive (if I do say so myself) member causing the utmost chaos on body. Realizing that I'm making her squirm more then I currently am, Sakura flings her torso off the bed, and grapples onto me, wrapping her legs around my waist, and dropping down onto my dick. The sudden shift causes me to slam my back into the wall to my left, slouching slightly to the bed as Sakura has taken the dominant position.

She bounces whole heartily onto me, letting what little fat her body has jiggle and shake with each landing on my body. While she has taken the lead, I make my move and unclasp her bra, ripping it off before she can try and grab onto it. She doesn't seem to mind at this point, I'm hitting enough of her happy buttons that she is more inclined to be bare before me. I take a moment to watch her work, bouncing in my lap with the low light from the window illuminating her features. With the sweat glistening on her body in the moon light, it's hard to see how sunken her eyes look nowadays, rather she looks more like an angel that is enjoying the sins of man. If only this angel wouldn't disappear by morning. Having gotten enough of a show, I lean forward and manage to snake her right nipple into my mouth. While I might have grown a great fondness for larger and plumper breasts over time, I still like to suckle firmly on Sakura's petite nipples and press my face into her breasts.

I've felt Sakura climax at least once or twice, with the tightness around my cock indicating that another one is somewhere along the way. While this may be more for her enjoyment, I'm not going to let my needs go unmet. Throwing my hands behind her back, I reach up and grasp onto each shoulder. With a better hold on her, I yank my arms down, bringing Sakura and all slamming down onto my groin, with my cock climbing higher into her then she had been getting it. She let out a small yelp from the surprise action, and obviously enjoyed it enough for me to give it another try. Pulling her up slightly with my forearms, I yank her down again and fill the thrush of being fully enveloped for a moment. Sakura gets where I'm going with this, using her legs to provide a good pop up before I slam her back down. Every time she's barely gotten herself back up, I slam her down; doing my best to increase the pace and my pleasure, but Sakura seems to think I'm going at this for a slightly rougher experience. Oh no, no I'm not, and while I might of grown maturity in a lot of different ways over the years, getting my sexual dues is not something I plan on finding any patience in. Arching my back, I slam my back against the wall with enough force to propel me and Sakura forward, throwing her dominant position on me out of whack. I grab her by the sides, and slam her on her back at the head of the bed, lunging down upon her the second she hit the bed. Placing both hands upon her hips, I start jack hammering into her, letting my body slide in and out of her as fast as my muscles will allow. Sakura throws her head back in a silent scream, writhing with her body and vaguely trying to push me off due to the massive increase in sensation, but her attempts are in vain. I'm close, and I haven't gotten off in a while. She's managed to orgasm a few more times since we switched positions, but she does her best to hide that. She used to whole body spasm when she climaxed, but found that when she started sleeping around to ease her pain, her partners really didn't care to tolerate a massively flailing scene to know they did something good. She quickly taught herself how to tone the actions down a lot, but I can still see that she feels every bit of it that she used to, only now she just curls her toes and lets her eyes roll back into her head for a moment. I'm getting close, I can feel the pressure inside me that needs to be released, and is filling my every thought. I grip her tighter, my fingernails leaving marks on her tiny hips, but not enough to break the skin. My pace increase even faster, to a pace I know my muscles can't keep up with, or maintain for long, but it will be enough. With one final thrust, I throw my body over hers and feel the succulent sweet release as I flood her insides with my sperm. My body convulses lightly, my built up seed coming out of me in minor spasms. I give her a hug, along with a light squeeze with each little spasm that pushed the last of my sperm out of me and into her.

She is gasping for air, holding onto me as I'm coming off of my high. We lay there in the dark, letting our sweaty bodies cool in the room just barely lit by moonlight. I can feel the excess of what I gave her slowly oozing out onto the bed sheets. We definitely made a wet spot, and on a tiny bed, that means we are both going to have to sleep in it. Sakura is fading fast, barely being able to keep her eyes open. She manages to place a kiss on the side of my mouth, obviously not her intended target, before passing out in my arms. I can feel myself slipping as well, watching as my eyesight is decreasing as each second passes. I fumble on the floor and manage to grasp my blanket, pulling it over the both of us. Now that she is out cold, I let my henge drop. She freaked the first night this happened, hitting me square in the jaw with a super powered fist. But we talked about it, and she finally agreed to let me drop the disguise when we were done. As my eyelids lose their battle against gravity, my mind wonders to the guy this midnight rendezvous was truly for, the most fearsome combatant and acknowledged warrior of the fourth shinobi war, Rock Lee.

**I'm not sure how so many of my closest friends had the misfortune of dealing with the majority of the revived akatsuki members, but they did. I recall mentally cursing the lack of diversity from all the allied nations, with the majority of them taking on the white zetsu's and the other random edo tensei's. At some point in the battlefield, I saw that Sakura had managed to find herself toe to toe with quite possibly the most effective killing machine that akatsuki ever produced, Kisame Hoshigaki. He probably targeted her due to being a healer, a well-known healer at that. How many people can claim that Tsunade personally trained them? Many had tried to come to her aid, but the enemy had done well to try and make sure that Kisame worked uninterrupted. Many people managed to let loose a kunai or jutsu in their direction. But between Kisame's lack of pulse dictating that he really didn't care if he was struck by a kunai, or that damn Samehada absorbing anything charka based, they as well have been throwing confetti. Kisame may have come off as a somewhat slow fighter, which is something he wanted people to believe. He actually had some decent speed, nowhere near the greatest, but good enough to pull it out of nowhere and surprise you when you least expected it. He had let Sakura analyze his believed max speed, and set her moves to be a few seconds ahead of him. After pulling off an advanced flurry of blade moves, Sakura managed to weave through all of them, believing that she had a moment or two to spare to catch a breath before he could swing at her. But his last move had been a feint to prepare for his next move. The second Sakura had touched the ground in a one handed flip, Kisame was upon her. Swinging his sword in a low swing, he managed to completely obliterate Sakura's left arm at the elbow, the entire appendage being lost to the spikes and deep crevices of Samehada. **

**Sakura was sent tumbling forward, screaming in wild abandon at quite possibly one of the worst ways to lose an arm. Kisame himself seemed slightly perplexed by all of the screaming, with most of his amputee victims suffering their fate after being knocked unconscious. Sakura's scream seemed to reach from one end of the battlefield to the other. Her scream fell upon one particular shinobi, who was painstakingly knowledgeable with Sakura's tone of voice. Rock Lee screamed out to her, asking if she was okay, never getting a reply that question. Later, after the war, Sakura would admit that she had clasped her hand over the stump, applying whatever chakra she had left to begin re-growing the arm. From the taxing effort of re-growing a limb, the agony in her arm, and a good part of cowardice, she chose not to reply to Rock Lee. She hoped that no one would look at her, thinking her dead, and leave her alone long enough to patch herself up. But what she hadn't considered was that she was the only thing that Rock Lee saw, in the past, present and hopefully future. He loved her more then he respected Maito Guy, and that was saying something. He had seen her before they had truly met during the chuunin exams. Saw the true her, underneath all of the fan girl and cosmetics. He had grown so attached to her, that he couldn't hold back his already over the top manner to try and tell her how he felt about her in a way she would be willing to understand. He had grown up and matured next to her, hoping to win her over with time, and once they eventually joined, he would never leave her. Rock Lee had seen the simple things, the little chit chats over dinners that didn't really amount to anything, the labors of love that they would do simply to see the other smile. Haruno Sakura was a deep and intricate part of his one shot at true happiness. And when Sakura didn't move, didn't respond, he suddenly came to an impasse. If she didn't exist, then he had no future worth living. If he had no future worth living and his beloved's killer still walked free, then he was to die ensuring that the killer didn't get to live another moment of his future.**

**With more conviction then most people can ever accumulate in their entire life, Rock Lee said three words that changed the very tide of the battle, and struck terror into everyone on the battlefield, friend, foe, dead or plant. "Death Gate, OPEN!" Bypassing all of the previous gates in an act of pure will, Lee stood rigid as the very air around him seemed to quiver in uncontainable power being released. I had only seen up to the sixth gate, which causes the user to be enveloped in a blue aura, so I wasn't quite sure what I saw at first. The aura was a golden red color. I later was told that the reddish color came from his body suffering from massive hemorrhaging from the release of the eighth gate. Were the user's body capable of handling the initial power release, it is theorized that the user could use the technique for a great period of time, even possibly survive it. But even an experienced jonin, hell, most kages couldn't handle that sudden surge of god like power. With little more than a twitch of his shoulder, Lee by all sense of the word disappeared. Not a rock moved where he once was, nor was there any sound made or noticeable change in air current. The already shell shocked battlefield was on edge of the man who hit ungodly levels of power, and simply disappeared. One of the greatest mysteries of the fourth shinobi war that is still being disputed to this day is what sense was able to detect Lee first. In a medley of painful sensory overload, the air seemed to explode in all directions, pushing everyone off kilter, a sonic boom ravaged the area, robbing everyone of hearing & out of nowhere, Lee's unusual aura appeared to be nearly everywhere at once, looking like a giant toddler colored the very air and ground throughout the battlefield in some weird scribble pattern. The white Zetsu's started exploding by the dozens. Regardless of the positioning, flanking movements or any perceivable advantage they might have had, they were flying in every which direction like someone had embedded an entire crate of explosive tags in their chests. **

**Itachi, in all of his undead glory, appeared to have picked up some trace of Lee, and dashed forward to intercept, and stop him from decimating any more of the Zetsu's. The enhanced vision granted to me by the using the Kyubi chakra allowed me to see what exactly happened in that little skirmish, the details of which I've had to officially go on the record to state what happened as no one else managed to see the utter carnage. To me, Lee appeared almost like a genie, I could make out his torso, arms and head, but I couldn't make out his waist or lower, unless he was making a kick. Itachi's path was spot on, a testament to how efficient the Uchiha genius was, but not enough to contend with Lee. Lee let loose a straight forward open handed palm at Itachi's chest. Even at kage level, this mid-level taijutsu strike would send the enemy skidding back many feet, possibly even cause them to tumble, but that wasn't the case here. Itachi was sent flying back like a rocket, with his arms, legs and head snapping off like twigs being ripped off a tree in a hurricane. Itachi's stump of a torso slammed into the valley wall, on the other side of the valley, with a sickening crunch; with whatever bones Lee hadn't shattered giving way. Ash and paper quickly went to work, reattaching or reassembling whatever was lost or scrambled within Itachi. Taking little more than a moment to regain some composer after he had fully been restored, Itachi used his nearly legendary speed to cross the watery expanse, and go after Lee again.**

**This bout found Itachi suffering a previously incomprehensible level of defeat. Immediately starting off with a right handed chop, to try and force Lee into a stationary position, to allow him to try and regain control of the fight. Lee instantly countered with an outward hammer fist, shattering Itachi's wrist so bad that Itachi's finger tips momentarily touched his elbow. Pressing through the setback, Itachi valiantly continued his assault, doing his best to lock Lee into place long enough to put him under a genjutsu. After a devastatingly short and brutal trading of blows, Lee decided to end it, and his opponent. Sending Itachi up with the beginning of his signature lotus technique, Itachi found himself rocketing upwards. The Uchiha genius was well prepared for the next part of the move, constantly checking his immediate surroundings for any sign of Lee trying the sky dance technique. After a moment of nothing, Itachi broadened his vision to try and locate his opponent, only to come to terms with what was about to happen. Lee had gone in circles around Itachi in that short time, making a cage around him with his tangible aura blur. The cage was roughly seven times the size of the standard water prison, yet the blur cage had multiple openings, more than large enough for an Akimichi to jump through. That cage wasn't made to hold in Itachi, it was to better contain Lee's destructive power for a singular target. **

**From his position at the top of prison, Lee vanished at an even greater speed than previously seen. I just barely got to see Lee streaking past Itachi, doing little more than bumping into him with his shoulder, yet the result was a large trench erupting diagonally across Itachi's body. Before Itachi's body had time to recoil, Lee's blur had already rebounded off one of the walls, instantly redirecting right back at Itachi, bumping into him once more. This hit and run tactic occurred numerous more times, with Itachi not even having the time or ability to recoil from each strike. The cage became more and more cramped with each strike, Lee's tangible blur filling any available space left in it, only moving out of the way of Lee in his mad frenzy. When there was almost no room left in the cage, Lee finished his barrage by appearing before Itachi with both hands over his head, bringing them down together in a wicked overhead double hammer smash on Itachi's breast bone. Itachi went erupting through the bottom of the cage, quite convinced that at the rate he was going, Lee would likely let him strike the ground uninterrupted before attacking again. He would have been right about that, if inspiration hadn't hit Lee somewhere along the way.**

**No sooner after his last strike on Itachi, Lee vanished and reappeared atop of the cage, in the exact same striking move he just used on Itachi. Delivering another overhead double hammer smash, Lee sent his cage hurdling directly after Itachi, catching him just before he hit the ground. The energy became unstable with the impact with the ground, becoming unraveled, and finally exploding. As the untamed energy dissipated, Itachi's stump and head was all that was left. Unbelievably, instead of reforming, Itachi began to deteriorate, turning into nothing but ash, paper and the corpse of whoever Kabuto found for this sick technique. No one quite knows why he did that, some say that maybe Itachi's life goal was to be humbled by someone, or maybe to be beaten in an honorable fight, not through trickery, sickness and luck. Regardless, the Uchiha genius was scattered to the wind below Lee, who was standing upon his very own aura, maintaining a thousand yard stare at a single opponent across the battlefield. It had been less than one minute since Lee had opened his eighth gate, and not once had he gone after Kisame. Rather, Lee had decimated a quarter of the white Zetsu's, and personally dismantled quite possibly one of the few people who could of defeated Kisame one on one. In spite of how much of a knucklehead I used to be, I fully got what Lee did. He was making a statement as big as life for one opponent. He manhandled Itachi and destroyed countless thousand white Zetsu's to better ensure that he wouldn't be interrupted in what was about to come. Now, amidst the gathering of the world's strongest, Lee was taking the time to stare down Kisame with the look a lion gives to an injured gazelle.**

**Kabuto must have changed his game plan at this point, as he had already lost one of his strongest pieces. Kabuto had already suffered heavy losses this battle, with Sasuke having been killed by this point, and many others that he had so desperately wanted to experiment on. He probably just wanted to wipe his hands of the battle, kill all of the shinobi on the field, and take control of the five nations. Lee took off again, this time heading straight towards Kisame. Deidara made a bold move to intercept, with a C4 bomb already flying to intercept where Lee would likely pass through. I swore time stood still as that bomb started glowing, showing that it would be detonating within a matter of seconds. Surely we would have all perished right then and there, if Lee hadn't done the most foolhardy thing of all time, bar none. Bringing both hands together like a person would to smack a fly, Lee brought his hands together in one thunderous clap over the bomb. The bomb quickly decompressed and crumbled under the two pressures, the majority of the explosive clay folding upon itself, causing multiple redundant chakra passages, crippling the bomb. A good amount of the explosives wasn't defused by this foolhardy move, and instantly detonated within Lee's hands. To this day, one of my top favorite memories of all time was see Deidara's face as his bomb was practically neutered before his very eyes, with a good amount of it funneled like a cone aimed directly at him. Lee's hands allowed for most of the blast to be deflected back at Deidara in a short, but devastating ranged backlash bomb. The blonde akatsuki member didn't even get to see if his bomb had any effect on Lee before his body was all but vaporized. Fortunately, it took a bit longer for Deidara to reform, even better was that was long enough for Shino in his massive black death to pass by and stop the regeneration process in its tracks. Unfortunately, Deidara's attack did manage to cause some damage to Lee, sending him skidding back to the water's surface, with his aura turning a darker blood color. I was told that the darker his aura, the less time the user had left, as more and more blood was hemorrhaging out. Showing no signs of slowing down, Lee pressed on, closing the distance between him and Kisame before Kisame could blink. **

**Now if someone was to kill the person I loved to the moon and back, I can promise you that my first move would with be a straight shot, upper cut, head bash, or any type of strike in which a lot of pent up power was released in a devastating manner. So when Lee threw himself into a sliding sweep and exploding through Kisame's ankles, I was pretty perplexed. It was only when Lee back flipped over Kisame, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and slammed him face first into his tangible aura did I start to get it. Lee was so furious that he was at peace. Blind rage wasn't his inspiration, but a cool fury that set his body at peace for this battle. Every move was calculated and made perfect for one goal, to inflict the maximum amount of pain on Kisame for as long as possible. Switching limbs, Lee let loose a devastating cross kick to Kisame's temple, sending his head flying the bottom of the loop Lee made with his aura, to just above the midline point for the side. This barrage continued, with Lee successfully executing a skull shattering blow to Kisame's head, bouncing him off every square inch of the tangible loop that he made when he back flipped over Kisame from the first strike. Kisame was completely kept in check within the loop, bouncing around the tiny thing as every inch of his body was struck from multiple angles and styles of strikes. Having grown tired of this method, Lee grasped the top of the loop, swung over it and delivered a double leg rocket kick to Kisame's breastbone, sending him flying like a cannonball towards the center of the lake.**

**After the fifth bounce off the water's surface, Kisame managed to use Samehada as a drag anchor, slowing him down enough to get his footing. Surely he must have thought that Lee hadn't thought this action through, letting him have the home turf advantage. This wasn't the case; Lee just wanted him to feel like he had a hope of chance, just to break it later. Finally going with the punch I was looking forward to see, Lee smashed his fist into Kisame's chin, yet not with enough power to turn his face into ash. Slapping his hand down, Lee pulled Kisame forward and down with enough force to cause Kisame into a roll. The second Kisame's right foot left the ground, he felt a deadly vice take hold of his ankle. Lee lifted Kisame over his head with a firm grasp of Kisame's robe collar and ankle, and jerked his torso down, bringing his left leg up into Kisame's lower spine, resulting in a sickening crunch. Lee lifted Kisame up again, only to fling him down one more, aiming his kick to be one vertebra up on Kisame's spine. While they would heal quickly, anyone brought back by the edo tensei could still feel pain and emotions. Knowing that this wound would quickly heal didn't do much for Kisame's psyche, as he still had to feel the pain and knowledge that he was being taken apart piece by piece. Ending the barrage just at the base of Kisame's neck, Lee lifted him up once more, jerking him down and letting Kisame perform the quite possibly most painful assisted belly flop of all time, complete with an axe kick to help him sink. **

**The water seemed to help the regeneration process, as well as put Kisame at peace. He wasn't sure why he was left unmolested underwater; Lee's sensei had shown that by the sixth gate, water was not an obstacle. Within moments, Kisame was fully restored, and decided to slowly resurface. Lee didn't move a muscle, merely staring down the very spot that Kisame had chosen to resurface. With Kisame fully emerged, Lee remained rigid on the spot. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kisame flared his impressive chakra reserves and fired off a chakra reinforced shark missile. The shark was one of the greatest that Kisame had ever made, evident by the shit eating grin that he wore as it skimmed amongst the water's surface at Lee. Having waited for this moment, Lee surged forward, hitting the shark in a shoulder ram so hard that the shark instantly exploded into boiling water that trailed behind Lee. With one mighty rising kick, Lee connected his foot between Kisame's legs, and sent him flying high into the air over the ground. Lee's aura was growing darker, he had to finish this soon, and he knew this intimately. Crouching slightly, Lee disappeared from site again this time, his tangible aura either giving way, or not able to keep up with this new level of speed that he was traveling at.**

**In the same manner that Lee bounced Gaara around during the chunin exams, Lee kept Kisame spiraling around in the air, resembling an invisible giant child waving a Kisame doll around. Samehada never managed to connect with Lee, something that Kisame took notice of. Kisame needed something to go off of, something to give him a shadow of hope or some inkling towards a strategy. Eventually he hoped, Lee would tire, or he could get a strike. And it appeared that there wasn't a single jutsu or strike that he could make to dent the furious taijutsu master. Lee felt that his time left in this world was somewhere near six minutes max, and his mind rationalized that it was time to finish Kisame. He could finish nearly all of the enemy forces in that remaining time, truly stopping this war. While he could easily spend an eternity beating Kisame to hell and back, his Sakura was a healer, and the greatest tribute he could make this day was prevent any more bloodshed that she fought so hard to repair. Blasting Kisame high into the air, Lee decided that he was going to finish this in two moves. One, he would meet Kisame at the zenith of his flight, sending him flying back down with his lotus. As Kisame would attempt to recover, he would deliver the most devastating blow he could to his head, and hopefully damage the seal inside his head before it can start its regeneration cycle.**

**Lee slowed himself for a few moments, leading Kisame to believe that he was currently set at this new speed, which was well within Kisame's reaction time. When Lee began his descent, Kisame waited for the exact moment that he believed Lee would be entering his strike range, and hurled Samehada before himself sideways, hoping to sideswipe Lee. But Samehada never connected with anything, rather, Lee connected both fists into Kisame's stomach, instantly collapsing Kisame's rib cage and sending fractures down his entire spinal column. At an even greater speed, Kisame nosedive towards the ground continued on, ending with a sickening thud and a brand new crater. Through all of the blinding pain and agony that was slowly being reversed by the regeneration, Kisame's mind was never more clear. He saw that Lee was intending to finish this, his body movements made that very clear. And judging how he started his rampage after he took out that pink haired healer, it appeared that his attack was out of passion and loss. It took Kisame many years to learn to understand the petty emotions and tactics that his enemies took when influenced by them. The ones that came after him after he killed their precious people always did a frontal assault. Maybe it was something to do with looking into the killer's eyes as he passes. While this little encounter had gone nothing like any of his previous fights, he was certain that the final blow would be from the front. With his spinal column reformed and his ribcage returned, Kisame moved his body into an advanced kenjutsu stance that appears to make the user look defenseless from the front. Preparing Samehada, Kisame slowly rose to his feet, putting on an act that he was fatigued, and locked his weary looking eyes onto Lee. He saw Lee tense his body and his aura flicker. Surging Samehada forward, Kisame felt a joyous sensation as he felt something connect with his sword. **

**Gazing forward, he saw that Lee had moved so fast that Samehada had, for lack of a better word, pierced right through his chest, with Lee halfway down the length of Samehada. Samehada didn't possess a single blade, and to this point had never cut, cleaved or pierced a single person. Sure he had removed plenty of limbs, but that was through shredding, bludgeoning like a mace or a high speed impact. Seeing Lee with Samehada halfway through his chest was quite the site to see, for Kisame and everyone else on the battlefield. Everyone seemed to notice it, and the reactions were pretty diverse. The remaining enemies were relieved to say the least, knowing that many of them were next in line after Kisame was done with. The allies all felt some level of remorse or sorrow, with no one having the time or ability to shed a tear. With the exception of one, Sakura had sensed the atmosphere change, and looked around to see what had happened. She had just finished regrowing her arm, and was considering taking an extra moment to collect her remaining chakra for what was to come next. With tears freely forming, Sakura had used her analytical mind to piece everything together. When she didn't answer, Lee must have used all of his gates, becoming that massive power source that she felt. The decreased number of enemies could only have been from Lee going on a rampage, no amount of lucky moments or good strategy could have lowered the number by that much. And with Lee in his current situation, he must have gone after Kisame to avenge her. With tears freely running down her face, she ran towards Lee.**

**Sakura's actions were widely ignored by Kisame, rather intently focused on the dead shinobi before him. Lee's aura had receded into Samehada, with his sword being surprisingly quiet after being fed. Perhaps it was the blood that was coaxed over most of the blade; Samehada rarely had to deal with much blood. He was about to swing Samehada towards a large boulder to try and dislodge Lee when something caught his eye, something that shouldn't be possible. Lee's hand had moved forward a few inches, and rested over the many tiny teeth of Samehada. Kisame visibly froze, intently looking into the lifeless eyes of Rock Lee. There was no breathing, no detectable pulse. He was dead. Kisame must have jostled his blade, causing this now grotesque meat puppet to bounce. Moving his feet to continue his next course of action and free his blade from its unwanted guest, Kisame froze again after seeing Lee's entire arm reach forward, grasping onto the blade before him. Terror seemed to envelope Kisame's every fiber of existence, a sensation that he had never known before. Lee wasn't revived with the edo tensei, he wasn't a puppet, and he was, past tense of course, alive. But with all of the fourteen vital points in the torso necessary for sustaining life being shredded, he was moving of his own violation. The hand Lee had sent forward held firmly onto the spiky surface, multiple teeth piercing his hand, but Lee didn't flinch. With a sickening lurch, Lee pulled himself a few inches forward on the blade. Kisame exhaled out, a breath he didn't know he had. The edo tensei allowed the reanimated to inhale and exhale air as needed, not wanting to impede any fire or air users. This action wasn't necessary for survival, nor had Kisame realized that he had even drawn a breath, but as his body shuddered in pure terror, air rushed past his lips, and for a moment he wasn't sure if he was in the world of the living. This was a scene from hell, not something that could occur in the world of the living. Lee's other arm moved forward, repeating the same action, causing the already giant whole through his torso to be expanded a little more, with his face showing no signs of discomfort. For whatever reason Kisame couldn't understand, it seems that Lee's soul had checked out moments prior, but his body and very muscles seemed to be content on fulfilling the last standing order from the brain. Despite being an undead abomination himself, this brought a whole new world of fright and terror to Kisame, something he had never once experienced, even staring down the most dangerous of bijuu's. **

**Stricken with fear, Kisame could only watch as Lee pulled himself ever closer to his target, with only a few feet left of Samehada to go. Sakura had arrived at this time, too mortified to even attempt to move. She had intended to attack Kisame, but she found that she couldn't was too fixated on Lee's actions to try and move. She knew why, beyond just his avenging her. She knew in that moment that his professions of love were true. She now knew that Lee likely loved her more than she had ever loved a boy, her family or even herself combined. With the possible exception of her blonde teammate, she couldn't think of a single person she knew who would go through such lengths for the person they loved. With a muted silence, she watched as Lee had pulled himself close enough to raise back a fist, and send it flying forward at Kisame's face. Maybe Kisame had wanted to know true fear, or see something that defied the world as he understood it, but whatever the reason, as Lee's fist punched through Kisame's chest, he didn't regenerate, rather he began to disintegrate. With Kisame rapidly disappearing, the weight of Samehada was left entirely on Lee's unbalanced legs, sending Lee's body collapsing sideways to the ground. Sakura managed to find the ability to move, and rushed to his side, checking his vitals in some desperate hope that his motions indicated he might still be alive. No pulse was detected, his visible blood was starting to coagulate and his eyes were slowly beginning to get the foggy coating that the dead possess. Yet the most horrifying thing that Sakura witnessed that day was during her quick diagnosis of Lee's body. Her actions caused what little air was trapped within his body to be released from his throat, accentuating the last note that he had on his lips as he died. "kura" It came out barely louder than a whisper, but to the well trained ears of a medic over a person in need, it might of well as been screamed from the highest mountains. Lee had signed his own death warrant over Sakura's sake, threw his life away in her name, and died with her name on his lips. With what little air she held within her body, she cradled Lee's head in her lap and screamed his name to the heavens, to let him know that she had finally acknowledged him.**

((*Reads last author note* Bwahahaha…. Wow… Can you say cocky bastard? So, I've been here long enough to know this next song and dance. Author states (This complaint) which caused the interference, hopes you forgives. While I could list a reason/excuse (Got some pretty legit ones), I'm not going that route. I've wanted to finish this story for a while, and have been writing it out for the past few months. I typed out this chapter, the next, and a rough outline for the next and last chapter. Thank you for those that followed this story. Hope you liked it. Will post the next chapter in a few days, can't spoil you all at once. Well, message/comment if you have any questions and the like. I haven't even come up with a name, but I'm coming close to having a full plot outline for my super story I've been thinking up for years. More to come later on that, I would rather devote what little time I set aside for stories to focus on one at a time. I don't want to be one of those authors with twenty stories and virtually no progression. Later all.))


	4. Chapter 4

Sunlight manages to break through my window, inconveniently hitting me right in the eyes. I might have been able to move my head and go back to sleep, but the Lee squad just happens to be running down my block, screaming their damn brains out. Everyone wanted to know more about the mighty green beast of Konoha after the war. When the nations learned that a single man, incapable of performing jutsu's was the one who helped turn the tides, they really wanted to do something right for him. Konoha is now home to a special school, where any shinobi in the world is allowed to attend. If anyone has damaged chakra pathways or simply wishes to focus most of their talents towards a pure taijustu lifestyle, they are offered to join the school. The school is kept running and trained by mainly volunteers, mostly people who directly worked with Rock Lee or Guy sensei. Had Guy sensei still been alive, he would have been proud to teach the school. It's kind of sad to think about the school and Guy's death. Having been the one to kill Kisame before the battle, Guy was too injured to participate, and was sent back to Konoha to recover. After the battle, Kakashi had gone to break the news to Guy. Kakashi said that Guy was silent the entire time, with the occasional quiet sob as tears cascaded down his face. After Kakashi was finished, Guy nodded once to his eternal rival, and before the Kakashi and all of his speed could react, Guy plunged a kunai directly through his upper lip, piercing his abdulla mongata. Kakashi managed to catch his limp body before he hit the ground, shaken to the core that he couldn't have reacted in time. In the same manner that Lee activated his gates, Guy killed himself with the same level of conviction. Guy had misinterpreted Kakashi's description, thinking that the nations didn't respect his pupil. He ended his life because he felt that Lee would never be acknowledged for his limited but profound level of skill.

The taijutsu school was opened some many months later, and has been running ever since. Even Kakashi stops by once a month to teach some of the more advanced styles and techniques that Guy and Lee used to keep him on his toes. Every student wear's one of those hideous green jump suits, orange leg warmers, and has been instructed about the philosophy of "youth." Minus having to hear them do their screaming ten mile run every morning around six am, people are glad to see Lee's legacy running around the town. The consensus is that Lee's dream has finally been achieved with the school. Thankfully, I'm not stricken with a hangover, so I'm in a much greater mood than I have been in the past. Shifting slightly in my bed, I feel Sakura move with my body, still greatly intertwined with my own. I peel back the covers, letting my eyes take in her naked form in the early morning light. She is a lot skinnier then she used to be. Like me, she hasn't taken very good care of herself since the war, focusing on more liquid then solid meals and a lot less training than the old days. In spite of all that she has or hasn't done to her body since the war, she is still in relatively good shape as far as being a shinobi. She may have lost some chakra reserves from being thinner from malnourishment, as well as some muscle mass, but besides that, nothing else is wrong. It's sad and surprising to state that, but she's put her body through hell in trying to alleviate her grief.

As I'm looking her over, I'm debating if I want to fuck her before she wakes up. Our agreement stands that I can do whatever I want while she's out. In the past, I would have not even considered such as a thing, but with it being openly stated that she's using me at night; it just kind of seemed okay that I can do the same to her at some point. She's fun to sleep with, it's nice having access to a decent fuck without having to wine and dine, and sadly she's also the only person that I feel I have a snowballs chance of hell of being in a relationship with. But we are both too damaged for it to work. That hasn't been officially declared, but I'm pretty sure she's thinking the same thing. With a tiny push of my hips, she rolls to her back with her legs spread wide. There was no nothing stopping me from going for a few more rounds in Sakura, yet I don't quite feel like it at the moment. I carefully crawl out of the bed, moving slowly to ensure that I don't wake her. Throwing my tongue down her throat and giving her tits a good squeezing for good measure, I cover her up with the blankets and make my way to the kitchen. Maybe next time I'll take her for a ride, I muse to myself. I usually plow her a few times before she wakes up, but she hadn't come by in over a month, and I didn't want this little arrangement of ours to end. I don't recall her ever complaining about feeling freshly fucked in the morning, but I'm not willing to risk pissing her off before I get a chance to talk to her.

I turn on the stove top, waiting for my crappy appliance to warm up. Rummaging for some eggs and rice to throw into the rice cooker, I let my mind wonder back to how this all started. It started with a rumor, which is somewhat sad in the world of ninja's. Rumors aren't to be taken seriously unless it comes from your chain of command, or you've heard it from almost everyone. After the war, Sakura dropped off the map completely, almost nobody saw her, or managed to get much out of her when they did. Granted, we all were pretty fucked up after the battle, but looking back, this was a little too much. I hadn't heard from her for almost two months at this point, and when I finally heard anything, even a rumor, I took it upon myself to look into it. The rumor was that Sakura was seen pretty regularly in one of the dirtier bars of the west district, and that getting into her pants was easy than spotting an Akimichi in an anorexic convention. I showed up at the bar an hour after it happened, hoping to not find her inside. Sadly, I got my wish, as I heard something similar to her mumbling in the alleyway by the bar. Sneaking around the corner, I was greeted to the site of some guy I didn't recognize fucking Sakura bare back, grunting and groaning as he had her pushed up against the grimy brick wall of the bar. With the smell of cheap booze radiating off of one of them, and with Sakura seemingly sobbing her eyes out, part of went into high alert thinking that the guy might have been raping her. Stomping into the scene, I pulled hard on the guy's shoulder before I sent him flying with a left cross, sending him head first into the brick wall, knocking him out cold.

Sakura collapsed to the ground, slowly turning around with a look of sadness in her face. She drunkenly yelled at me for interrupting her and Lee, and that I had no right to cock block his happiness just because I had unrequited feelings. Not going to lie, that statement did hurt, as well as greatly confuse me. Lee was gone, something I didn't think I had to remind her of. Looking to the unconscious guy, I noticed that he was wearing a green jacket and had black hair. I let Sakura know that this guy wasn't Lee, but posing as him. To this day I can't quite make out what she said, but it was something about picking the wrong Lee. She was looking towards the bar itself as she said it. I wasn't going to leave her there, naked from the waist down and her pants nowhere within sight. I picked her up bridal style, and curiosity getting the better of me, poked my head into the bar. I was filled with rage as I saw that almost a quarter of the bar occupants were wearing outfits that resembled Lee. One even had the nerve to look up with a hopeful look at Sakura in my arms, like a little boy waiting for his turn to play on the swings. I set Sakura down on a nearby chair and made two shadow clones, which didn't need a single reminder to what I wanted done. As they sauntered inside to beat the piss out of whoever resembled Lee, I turned to take Sakura back, only to receive a sloppy glancing punch to the cheek. With her standing up right, I got a better view of her. Her eyes had dark bags beneath them, the inside of her legs were littered with bruises and tiny abrasions. The rumors were true, and it broke my heart to see find it out in such detail. Sakura stood her ground against me, adamant that I needed to get lost and not stop her. Her mood soon changed, as she suddenly started bawling her eyes out about Lee, and just wanting to be with him. I knew what I had to do to get her out of this shit hole, but I wasn't too happy about it. Placing a hand over her eyes, I quickly henge'd into Lee before she could see the swap. As she batted away my hand, she gasped at my new image. On unsteady legs, she stumbled forward, holding onto me for dear life, mumbling out some tirade of a speech that I couldn't understand. I scooped her into my arms, jumping out of that alley, and started heading home. I would have taken her to her home, but she never told me where she lived after her old place was destroyed during Pain's attack. She didn't seem to notice, content on occasionally kissing my neck and nuzzling into my chest.

Once at my place, it took a great deal of effort to get her into any clothes, as she did anything she could to get out of hers. Anytime I got close, she tried to either get her tongue down my throat or get her hands down my pants. She was too far trashed for the night, and my only chance was to get her to bed and talk to her once she sobered up in the morning. She eventually agreed to wear some old training shorts I owned, and to go to bed, only on the condition that I cuddle with her. Knowing that arguing with her would likely end in disaster, I accepted her terms, and got her to bed without another word. What I didn't expect was to wake up a few hours later with a fully naked Sakura riding my dick like a possessed banshee. I was shocked to be honest, as I didn't think I would have lost my virginity in such a way. I lay there, frozen in place as she contently kept bouncing away to the beat of her own tune. I felt what I assumed was an orgasm building within me; only it was very different from what I ever experienced while masturbating. I soon found myself emptying my precious seed into Sakura, something that had a great meaning to me, but apparently little to her. She continued to ride me, only stopping when I started to go flaccid. With speed and a level of comfortableness that I can only assume came with a lot of practice, Sakura slid off me, only for her to start sucking my dick. She was going at it furiously, occasionally popping it out and using her hand so she could lick the tip. She occasionally would mutter that she needed more, or that she hoped I liked this. I had finally managed to regain my senses, and seized Sakura by the shoulders, pulling her up to my eye level. She seemed confused, almost hurt that she had been interrupted. I begged her for us to sleep, and started promising her whatever she wanted as long as we stopped and went to bed. She finally got the message, stating that she didn't think I had to be so careful with her. She didn't get the point, but she stopped and spooned with me. She may have gone to sleep, but I was too shocked to sleep any time soon. I had imagined losing my virginity to Sakura hundreds of times, but not like that. Not looking like someone else, not with her thinking it was something else. I felt so off and cheated that I didn't sleep for hours, and when I finally did, I was so tired that I dropped my henge, only to be woken up that morning by an angered Sakura.

After calming her down and explaining what happened, she looked somewhat taken back and eventually started explaining what I saw. She was doing everything in her power to ease the pain, or even escape the memory for a little bit. She had obviously started hitting the bottle, and also some hardcore drugs as well, something that I never thought she would do. She stated that she never intended to start sleeping around, but on one of the first nights that she went to the bar, she met a guy who looked like Lee, and went after him. He obviously knew an easy lay when he saw one, and went along with it. She told me that she knew on some level that this guy wasn't Lee, but with the booze and drugs, she wanted to believe the lie. He took her home and took her virginity, but the rush and feeling she got from the sex was well worth it. She woke up alone, and feeling miserable, but she found a new way to numb her feelings, even making herself feel good for a few hours. Eventually she made it a routine, getting drunk before going to the bar, then arriving and making her rounds. She says she gave up the drugs at that point, but honestly couldn't tell me how many guys she had slept with, stating that she only knew that she was sleeping with at least four guys a night. Yet, while she told me everything, I could see the look in her eyes. She felt some remorse for sleeping with me, and embarrassed about what she had done, but she wasn't going to give it up. There was a constant look of pain in her eyes, something that she looked desperately wild to get away from, like a coyote with its leg suck in a trap. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she was at least extremely set onto her path of descent. She shrugged off the pregnant comment, telling me that she had used her medical justus to make herself permanently sterile, as she was in no condition to ever raise a child. She denied having any sexually transmitted diseases, stating that she checks herself almost daily, and that she was still disease free. It broke my heart to hear her justify her actions with little regard to the damage she may be causing. She stated that she hated herself for what she did when she was sober, but this was the only way she had to cope with everything.

I knew what she would say, but I asked anyway. I asked if she would do it again tonight, and without a hint of shame, answered yes. I begged for her not to, but that didn't go anywhere. She got dressed in whatever clothes she could find, and started to leave. On the way out, she stated that she was sorry, but also that she feels slightly better than she usually does most mornings because it was someone she trusted. That triggered something in my mind, and I managed to stop her before she was out the door. It was a crazy plan, stupid for sure, but I asked if she wouldn't go back to that bar if we repeated what happened the night before. Weighing her options, Sakura consented to the idea. We sat down, and set down some guidelines, mainly things that would benefit her. Even though she hated what she was doing, she actually made a few rules that would benefit me as well. I wasn't really comfortable with this situation, but I knew that if I didn't, Sakura would soon find herself in a bad situation. I rationalized that I would be able to keep her safe by doing this, as well as have a sexual experience while fully conscious. She came back that very night, and as we agreed, I turned into Lee. In the morning, she didn't say much, but left shortly afterwards. True to her word, she didn't go back to the bar, but starting coming to my place routinely. Over time, she started talking more in the morning, and very slowly, she started to look less shameful of her actions. She told me that if she got to a certain point of intoxication, she honestly forgot that Lee was dead, and her familiarity with the routine led her drunken state here. We had both agreed that this wasn't an exclusive deal, and that we could see other people if we wanted. I tried with time to make some relationships work here or there, with little success. All I got out of those were a few more sexual experiences, and the realization that I might very well be too off my rocker for a normal relationship. I did some digging around, and found that Sakura wasn't trying to find a partner; rather that she had devoted her heart to Lee, and was stubbornly keeping it that way in her own form of repentance.

The routine became pretty solid over time, almost comfortable in how it was a consistent and reliable part of our messed up lives. Everything was going smoothly until last month, more specifically my birthday. With both of our little forms of income going directly to our bar tabs, I fully understood her when she said she wanted to get me a gift, but couldn't afford anything. I tried to brush it off, saying that a gift wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Maybe she wanted to try real activities, try some baby steps towards once again living a normal lifestyle. I racked my brains, but couldn't think of anything. She kept pestering, and I just blurted the first thing that came to my mind. I wanted to have sex with Hinata. I had been thinking about her quite a bit at that time, and some part of me was entertaining the idea of what it would have been like if we actually got together. Well, that and if she was alive. I didn't really want a randy session, but maybe something with some level of connection. I respected her way too much to view anything physical with her as purely sex. She had more than earned that status in my book. Sakura seemed taken back, but she saw something she could make happen. She agreed to it, stating that she would be back a little bit earlier on the night of my birthday for my gift. Our routine continued until the night in question, and surely enough, she showed up half an hour early, and a lot more sober than usual.

It was somewhat awkward at first. She hadn't transformed, just stood in the living room, looking about sheepishly. It was obvious she seemed somewhat off, so I offered her the chance to back out. She looked to me, and shook her head, and wordlessly transformed into the Hyuga heiress a moment later. I made my way over to her, slowly looking her over. While part of me was curious of what she was like in the bed, the biggest part of this "gift" was to see how I would feel around her. I missed the sight of her, her presence, and a lot of things that I just didn't notice before. I embraced her in my arms and led her to the couch, enjoying scents and textures that I hadn't had the chance to enjoy before. I took it slow, gazing into her eyes for a few minutes before making the move and kissing her. I enjoyed all the little things at each step before moving on. Eventually, the kissing started to use a tongue, and hands started roaming bodies. Sakura hadn't said a word since transforming, and I had just assumed that she didn't want to taint the moment, letting me make all of the moves. A few outer pieces of clothing became loose, and eventually forgotten. I picked up Hinata, clad in a lavender bra and her pants, and carried her to the bedroom. With as much finesse and gentleness as I could imagine one would use when taking someone's virginity, I slowly guided the interaction until we were in a close missionary style, rocking our bodies together at a rhythmic pace. I didn't take my eyes off or hers, I couldn't. I felt like we were having some deep conversation without saying a word. The sex was good, really good, but I was getting a high off of the connection that I was feeling. Part of me felt horrible, knowing that the connection really didn't exist, and that I was just coming to terms with the fact that I had missed out on a great partner and mate, but I pushed that aside. I knew I was only digging up more pain to deal with later, but I was happy knowing this existed. I pulled her chest tight against mine, with her breasts pooling between us, and started saying things between the kisses that I kept stealing from her. I wasn't fully thinking about what I was saying, rather just saying what I felt, or what felt right. I told her that I loved her, and that I accepted her. I was in the middle of mentioning something about a connection or staying by her side through anything when I was interrupted by a fist right in the mouth.

Knocked back from the missionary position, Hinata scrambled off the bed and turned back into Sakura, with a look of wordless rage painted across her face. She was huffing, struggling to find words to throw at me. Finally deciding on the statement of "How dare you" and "It's not fair", Sakura rushed through the house, gathering enough close to leave somewhat decent, and was gone without a word. I was left standing naked in my living room with a bad case of blue balls and the sense that I didn't see my closure out to the end. I hadn't seen or heard from Sakura since then. I checked a few bars, asked a few people, but no one had much of anything. I figured she had run off to work through whatever it was that set her off. When the rice and eggs were finished, I piled them onto a plate, seasoned them to Sakura's liking, and threw on some tempura vegetable leftovers from my fridge that hadn't gone bad. Making my way back to the room, I set the warm plate before Sakura's nose and watched her body stir and slowly wake up. Eyeing the plate and her surroundings, Sakura sat up and draped the blanket over her shoulders so she had something in the way of covering herself up. I sat at the foot of the bed, watching her until I figured she had a few minutes to compose herself.

"You owe me an explanation as to what happened you know? You left me worried and concerned about you."

"… I'm sorry. And I'm even sorrier that my explanation is going to sound shallow. I didn't even know why I ran at first, but once I figured it out, I hated myself even more for a bit."

"So what happened? One minute we were together, the next minute you slug me in the mouth and ran… on my birthday of all days. If you had done that a few years ago, I could have let it go, but I've gotten used to not being beaten on my birthday. Call me crazy and all."

That comment seems to strike a chord, but she seems to shrug it off for the time being, set in her ways of saying what she planned to say first.

"I, wasn't ready to do that for you. I've been getting better since we started this deal of ours. Finding a healthier way to cope with my feelings, even if it means getting drunk and groiny with you five times a week, was helping me get on the right path. I know it's been pretty obvious, but I've been extremely selfish during all of this. I mean, I know the word selfish and I could practically be the same word for so much of my life, but… you know what I mean. Since the war, I was back to my own ways. Before your birthday, I thought that I should do something for you. I just wanted to try to act like I used to be, especially for you, the one person who I've been doing the worst by. I thought that by giving you something, I could see the right path and start on it again. When you asked me to be Hinata… I was uncomfortable, but I thought it would be better. Instead of an item which could have little meaning, an act of selflessness would be even better."

"But I was selfish even doing my act for you. I'm sorry I showed up so awkward, or stayed silent. I thought back over it all, and I think I understand it a little better. But at the time, I thought you were demeaning Hinata by using her for mindless sex. Looking back, you were doing the same thing I was doing. Getting closure, getting a glimpse of what was there. I just wanted to do our usual thing that night, focus on me, give me what I wanted, and feel so I could feel good. But when I had to spend all of my focus and energy on being someone else for so long, my mind started looking for reasons to get out of it. And defending Hinata's memory seemed like a good idea. And it was wrong… And I'm sorry. I wasn't ready for that. I'm broken Naruto. I'm broken, and some days I think that I won't get fixed. Even more, I worry that I'm holding you back, or that I'm messing you up, all for some stupid plan to fix myself. I couldn't face those questions, so I stayed away, until last night. I got weak and hit the bottle past my limit that I set for myself."

I understand what she's saying, and I'm proud of her in some ways. By all means I should blame her, and a small part of me wants to play the selfish card back on her, but I can't. What she said was a big step for her. She was thinking of others, and trying to get herself on the right path. I give her a sigh and smile combo that one would give to a puppy that almost mastered a new trick, but failed on a rudimentary level. Scooting close enough to throw an arm across her shoulder, I give her a tiny squeeze and laugh lightly.

"If you want Naruto, I could turn back into her. Let you try and finish what we started…"

And just like that, I'm thrown into a slump. After admitting all of the trouble she was having, she still wants to try and repay me for all that we've done. I let it mull over, and decide against it. Sakura took a big step here, and I don't want to risk the progress she's made.

"It's a nice offer, but maybe another time. Your right, it wasn't mindless sex that night. I was really testing my emotions and feelings for her. Turns out I felt something, I really did. But I know that it can't be, and I don't want to focus on that at the moment, or force you into a stressful position. But thanks Sakura… thank you…"

I lean back against the wall, letting a comfortable silence fill the room. Knowing Sakura like I do, she is going to likely be quiet for a little bit, something she always did after apologizing or being scolded. I'm happy she still has that little quirk to her, as I'm completely focused on a subject I just put to bed. She offered to be Hinata again, and that opened up a flood gate of images in my mind. I really did want to hold her; I really wanted to walk beside her. I didn't respond to Hinata's confession to me when Pain attacked because I had too much else on my mind. Well, that's the excuse I used. I was honestly thinking of finding her and trying to figure out all that happened, but then I found out Sasuke was a fugitive, ran off to beg the Raikage for forgiveness, than the war and training broke out. The next and last time I saw her was the final battle. For the past month, I had mainly been thinking about her, about her confession, each interaction we had. They are all little sweet moments that have an extra special meaning when combined with knowing how she felt. But the memory of how she died floating around the front of my mind constantly is by far so bitter compared to the others, and by far the most depressing memory I've ever had.

**I had made up my mind at that point that Sasuke was going to be receiving a severe beating this day, even if he suddenly turned good, and apologized for all of his actions. That arrogant ass had slowly made his way across the battlefield while I was working my butt off. He was keeping my promise, odd for him, yet he seemed to be intent on fighting me head on. I was grateful for this, with the alliance having to worry about one less nut job in a clouded cloak trying to decimate their large numbers. He had even had to evade a few people that had attempted to steam roll him, and kept pressing on. When we finally met, I found that he had gotten better since we last met. I had figured that much would have happened, but what I didn't account for was when he bragged about acquiring Itachi's eyes. That dick, Itachi had done everything for Sasuke's sake, and now he's bragging about using his brother's eyes as a means of power. With his new powers and proficiencies, he was still having a hell of a time with my new Kyubi powers. The genius was starting to lose his cool, which was giving me a great deal of pleasure to see him so frustrated. Something did seem to dawn on him though, which quickly cooled his hot head and gave him that eerie resolve that you love to find yourself in, and dread when your opponent gets it. **

**Using speeds that only his bastard clan could keep up with, Sasuke came at me with a barrage of shuriken. I had to switch to pure defense, forsaking any idea of evading the seemingly endless volley of shurikens. My chakra shield had deflected the majority of them, with a few skimming off the edges and being cleaved in two. It wasn't long before I had a good fifteen meter pile around me of discarded weapons. Seeing that he had halted, I was preparing to go back onto the offense and catch up on lost time, but that's when I saw his smile. Slapping his palm down on the ground, Sasuke screamed out the name of that chidori current technique he used on me back in Orochimaru's secret base. I knew that his max range with it when using it was no more than ten feet, let alone the reduction he would be suffering from using it so near the ground. As soon as I saw the lighting leave his hand did I get his motive, and I managed to mutter most of the word "fuck" out before I was hit by the technique. Between the two of us was a path of discarded shurikens, a path that was tightly knit together. There was a small stockpile surrounding me in tightly formed patterns. What I wasn't aware of was every so often, he had thrown one downwards in the barrage, making a nice and neat metal trail between the two of us, something that only a sharigan might have been able to catch the pattern in the whirlwind of metal. The chidori current was aimed directly at hitting that metal train, with Sasuke's bet that I would momentarily stall when seeing him use a short range attack to try and get me at the mid to long distance range. The current shocked me to the core, leaving me momentarily paralyzed. **

**We both knew that a second after he released the chakra extensive technique, I would be on after him like broth on ramen. Through blurry vision, I saw Sasuke summon a windmill shuriken from a sealing storage tattoo, and raise his arm back. I know he couldn't put the devastating power he wanted with that throw with his hand planted to the ground, and so did he. At the last second, Sasuke released his hand to better manipulate his body to release the windmill shuriken with the force necessary to put a crater in the Hokage faces on the mountain. Surging my internal chakra to try and increase my reaction time, I managed to pull out a kunai at the last second and deflect the windmill shuriken into the sky, hoping no endangered bird or skyward shinobi would be in its path. In the millisecond it took for my eyes to follow the path of the shuriken away from me and set them back on Sasuke, I saw that his plan was still working. The shadow shuriken was nearly upon me, having been expertly hidden beneath the first one. Using pure reflex, I chop at the shuriken, not having time to let my brain input where best to strike it. It wouldn't have mattered where I did strike it, as the second my kunai made contact, it transformed into a replica of Sasuke, who instantly transformed into a sphere of lightning that immediately jumped to my body. Lighting clone, a jonin level high chakra technique that is worth its weight in gold if utilized right, of course the emo bastard knew it. Trying to keep my focus on Sasuke, I saw him for a moment in the distance, right before his lightning clone exploded. The next sight I saw of him showed that he had traveled nearly the entire distance, going to strike through the smoke of the clone, decreasing my window of reaction time to a level that I was certain I wouldn't survive. **

**Time seemed to slow down as Sasuke entered the cloud from the clone, and I tried to guess if he would be making a lethal or non-lethal strike. My only hope was that he would choose non-lethal, wanting to draw this out and try and break my spirit. But the look he was giving me the entire battle said that this was to be the end. Anyone that had ever worn a Konoha headband was to die for his stupid revenge, and since all of the Konoha shinobi were wearing the joint shinobi symbol, he would have to kill them all to be sure. Just as the tip of his sword began to protrude from the cloud, a mass of dark hair and a streak of lavender and white appeared before me, instantly spiraling into a technique that I was more than aware of. It was the kaiten, a Hyuga clan technique. And the only Hyuga I knew that wore lavender colors, let alone willing to risk her life before me, was Hinata Hyuga. Relief overcame me as the mighty defensive technique of the Hyuga clan activated before me. I was to live, and after this battle I was definitely going to owe Hinata a nice long talk. Hell, it would have to be over dinner at this point, maybe with a lovely stroll through a moonlight park to top it all off. I still didn't know how I felt about her, but I knew now that her confession was completely true, and that I more than owed it to her to sit down after this war and figure out if there was anything between us. **

**The spinning sphere before me was the first break I had gotten this entire battle, and also the worst thing to happen to me. As the lightning chakra dispersed from my body, I was able to focus my gaze on the sphere before him. With a word of encouragement on the tip of my tongue, I was stunned beyond words when the rotation suddenly stopped, with Sasuke's sword sticking out the lower back of Hinata's left side, preventing her from moving. Somehow, with Sasuke's advanced eyes, Sasuke had either moved fast enough to strike in the barely useable window that is open when a kaiten forms, or found a sliver of a crack in Hinata's defense. The sword looked like it may or may not have nicked her left long, but her liver and spleen were likely destroyed. Hinata started to fall backwards towards me, completely stiff as a board from the lightning dancing off Sasuke's blade. Catching her with my left arm, I threw a rasengan over her right shoulder and sent Sasuke flying backwards. The bastard managed to deflect it at the last second, but I pumped some chakra into it to unbalance it, causing it to explode by his shoulder. It wouldn't kill him, but it would buy us some time. **

**I dropped to my knees, cradling Hinata in my arms. Words were streaming out of me, cries for a medic, pleading for her to hold on and god knows what else. She had my entire attention at that moment, the entire battle be damned. I applied pressure to the wound, as well as letting my hands dance over her, checking her pulse, capillary refill rate, breathing, and whatever other medical knowledge I had. I've seen Sakura pull off bigger miracles, maybe this wasn't so bad. If Sakura and Tsunade got here in time, Hinata's chance of survival would sky rocket. When looking over her face to check for any worry signs, I found my gaze caught on her expression. She was smiling; every millimeter on her face was radiating a smile, from the tint on her cheeks and curve of her eyebrow. She was looking into my eyes like there was a world within them, and smiling. I patted her cheek and pulled her closer to my face, trying to wake her from a delirious state she might have been in. But she knowingly looked at me, wordlessly telling me that she was in the right state of mind. I pleaded with her to stay with me, hang in there, and not leave this world. I said I needed her, and that I owed her too much to die, that she had to stay for me to repay her. Her arms moved up to my forearms, grabbing my gently by the elbows. She rustled lightly against my torso, making herself more comfortable. She spoke quietly to me, perhaps afraid that she might wake up somewhere else, away from this very moment. **

"**Don't be sorry Naruto-kun. I acted on the sole wish of keeping you alive, my life being a second thought. You have done so much for me, that I would forever hate myself if I didn't do everything in my power to help you. You are my light, and not just mine, but the worlds. As much as I would love to have you as my own, you are too precious to keep sheltered. Be happy Naruto, and know that I will always love you."**

**With her little speech done, Hinata started to have light spasms, likely from her body not being able to hold onto life for much longer. I tightened my grasp on her, suddenly yelling to stay with me, and that I couldn't lose her too. I was crying; no shame in admitting that, and my voice was cracking. Amidst all of my yelling and screaming, one of my "can't lose you too" accidentally came out that I loved her too. With the life slowly fading from her eyes, she smiled in such a way that her previous smile was considered little more than a tiny smirk. With the last of her strength, Hinata pulled her torso up, puckered her lips and closed her eyes in bliss. She died in this position, with her lips not reaching mine, and my own body in too much shock of accidentally lying to her and her final reaction. Her body held that pose for a moment, before her body went limp, her torso and arms falling back into my arms. Yet her face maintained its pose, blissful eyes, a face that radiated ecstasy and lips that were awaiting her lover's touch. My shoulder's lurched forward, wrapping my body around hers as I started sobbing uncontrollably. I never gave her the acknowledgement she deserved, and in her last moment, I didn't speak truthfully. She died believing a lie, and I was to blame. I wasn't worthy to give her that kiss that she so craved, so I kissed her forehead, hoping that her recently departed spirit would understand. With my lips planted firmly on her forehead, the distinct sound of laughter was heard. Before I could try to look up, Sasuke's voice spoke firmly and highly, obviously gloating over his actions.**

"**Too think that the dead last would need a little Hyuga girl to save him. But you seem pretty attached to her there, so I'll do you a favor and kill you quickly. Can't have your dead bride waiting can we?"**

**Even after I learned of what Madara did the night of my birth, or how he manipulated Sasuke, let alone seeing the travesties that Orochimaru caused first hand and the countless other actions that helped assemble my list of people to beat their faces in, never did I think that someone would be able to reach that number one spot so easily. Forsaking my promise to Sakura, forgetting my brotherly bonds with him and everything else, my eyes focused on Sasuke with an unwavering focus. He was going to die this day, even if I had to burn the world to do it. I slowly moved Hinata to a comfortable position with my chakra arms, never once taking my gaze off of Sasuke. The Kyubi, who had been a constant voice in my mind during the battle, was quiet. Usually he was offering his commentary, or the occasional useful tidbit of tactics or strategy. Yet he felt my will, and was amused by it. I knew that any genjutsu thrown at me would be made worthless by my chakra shield, and even if Sasuke used his stupid family's ultimate genjutsu, I would allow him to break me from it. Other than that, it was an unspoken agreement that he was not to interfere. This soon to be blood bath frenzy was mine, and mine alone. Consequences be damned, I was going to put my gut Sasuke by nightfall. And I did, a thousand times over.**

((So I was a few days longer than I hoped, but this does come with good news. I was so caught up in writing the next two chapters, which I forgot to update. There are going to be three more chapters after this, and I'm 90% done on the second to last chapter. I made quite a few bold steps here (while also basing the story off of what we knew and believed to be true last year), and have found myself boxed in on insisting on Madara actually being Madara. I always had a hunch that Obito was Tobi/Fake Madara. Oh well. Not much left for this story for me to do. I've fleshed out what happens to all of the main characters, for better or worst. Two of them actually come out better than they were prior to the war, at least where the story stands now. Let's see, any final notes… Ah yes. I was surprised no one asked/commented about my idea of the Eighth Gate. In case anyone was wondering, I portrayed it that the chakra residue/kinetic energy from the user's prior motions have left enough of a presence that the user can interact with it if they wish. Using it as a pillar to jump off, a object to snare or bounce your opponent off, or a collectable mass that can be used as a unstable bludgeoning object. Lee could freely pass through his own aura at will, but could easily change his mind at any time, going off of what suited him best. Well, I'm going to post this and then find my way to bed. Later readers.))


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